


Trigger Warning

by sassassassin



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Crimes & Criminals, Explicit Language, F/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Smut, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-06-09 04:19:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 67,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6889723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sassassassin/pseuds/sassassassin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While trying to take down the most dangerous criminal in the city, FBI agent Natsu keeps crossing paths with a tantalizing blonde woman in locations related to the case. - "I don't know who she is, but I think I just fell in love."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> Rating: M for violence and for smut.
> 
> Length: 10-15 parts.

"You think?"

"Course' I do. Bastard's been going at it for God knows how long and no one thought about moving a finger to stop him."

"You'd think gramps' would have figured it out already."

The handsome dark haired male huffed at his partner, bringing his glass to his lips to take a sip of the whiskey, wincing as it burned down his throat. He never understood why Natsu liked it, but he had caved in when his teammate had said that he would pay for the drinks.

The curiously pink haired man was sitting in front of him, tapping his fingers on the counter at a rhythmic pace, and tracing the edge of his own glass with his other hand.

"It's not easy when you want to arrest the most powerful criminal in the city flame-brain, especially when the said criminal used to be your superior."

The other man shrugged, leaning back on his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. "Don't be a smartass Gray. I'm just saying that this case is pissing me off. We've been following people around for a whole month and we still haven't found anything."

Gray's gaze shifted, landing on the target they were watching. The dark red haired man was leaning on the bar's counter far from them, his eyes fixed on a woman sitting in front of him. She obviously seemed uninterested, and kept shifting away from him in discomfort, politely nodding to whatever he seemed to be babbling about.

"Dan Straight," mumbled Gray. "He seems naïve, and I doubt he knows anything. He's probably nothing but an irrelevant underling."

His partner snorted, his eyes fixed on Dan. "All I know is that he really doesn't know what _no_ means. That woman's body language is screaming _'I'm not interested'_. He can't even flirt properly, it's pretty pathetic," he laughed, observing as the dejected target watched the woman he was talking to walk away from him.

"What, like you can? You can't even see when a woman is making advances," taunted Gray.

"Hell yeah I can! I'm Natsu Dragneel," he shouted, emptying his glass in one swallow, and setting it noisily on the counter. "I can get any woman I want, I just don't want to."

"Afraid?" mused his partner.

"Between the two of us, you're the one who's scared. When are you going to decide to give in to Juvia's advances?" grinned Natsu, leaning forward and raising an eyebrow.

Gray leaned against the counter, his forehead almost touching Natsu's, angrily staring at him. "That's none of your business. I'm not interested in her, I just like to buy the sweets she makes from the bakery."

"I bet there's some other sweets of hers you'd like to get," added Natsu.

Gray's face flashed with embarrassment, but it was quickly replaced with anger. "You mother-"

"Can I get you another drink, gentlemen?" said an amused voice.

The two looked up, without shifting from each other. A pretty big-chested bartender was leaning on the counter, watching their exchange with amusement in her eyes.

"No thanks, we're fine," replied Gray.

She smiled, shifting closer to them, and bent over the counter, exposing her cleavage. Her eyes trailed appreciatively over Natsu's form. They lingered for a moment on the expanse of skin the two undone buttons of his dress shirt showed, and she licked her lips. Her gaze uninterestingly skimmed over Gray, quickly shifting back to Natsu, and the dark haired man almost felt insulted at being ignored for someone whose hair was the colour of a _fucking_ _flamingo,_ as he often liked to call it.

"Don't refuse too quickly. I can give you something special to drink at the back," she winked.

Natsu's eyes bore into hers, and he shrugged. "Nah, I'm good," he told her, knowing that he couldn't drink a lot while he was on the job.

Her hand reached for his arm, and her fingers lightly trailed down one bulging bicep. "Are you sure about that? I can even get you something to eat," she smiled seductively, and Gray winced at the suggestive remark.

Natsu didn't bulge, and kept looking at her with an almost bored expression. "I already planned to go eat somewhere else with my friend here, but thank you for the offer."

She looked insulted at his indifference, quickly standing up and pulling her top further up her chest, covering some of the exposed skin. "Fine," she snapped, her eyes shifting between them. "But I think you gentlemen are in the wrong place, the gay bar is on the other side of the street."

Gray's eyes bulged comically, and he pulled his body as far away from Natsu's as his seat allowed him. Natsu's expression quickly changed from indifference to disgust, and he glared at the woman. She glared back just as angrily, walking away from them, and swinging her hips vindictively.

"Why does this always happen to me," grunted Gray. "Couldn't you just accept one woman's flirtation for once? She was offering all her goods on a silver platter, and they looked pretty nice to me."

"Then why don't you do it?" he sneered. "I'm not going to accept some random woman's offer to _fuck_ in a random bar, I've got more dignity than that."

"With that pink hair, it mustn't be a lot," laughed Gray.

"You want to go or what, you stupid stripper?"

"I don't think it would be smart to get into a brawl here," replied Gray calmly, pointing at Dan, who seemed to have found another victim for the night. "You don't want to attract attention do you? We still have to keep watch on him."

Natsu calmed down, hating how Gray made a fair point. "Whatever, it's not like he's going to help or anything. He probably knows as much about the case as he knows about how to approach women."

Gray silently agreed, and they continued watching him discretely, they eyes roaming the bar by the same means, betting on the amount of women who would reject Dan before the end of the night. When the subject was turned down by the sixth woman that night, a curious thing happened; a blonde woman who looked straight out of a _James Bond_ movie walked into the bar. She had long golden hair curling at the tips, and was wearing a tight mid-thigh black dress with a slit on the side, her back bare and her cleavage exposing an impressive set of breasts. Natsu's eyes ran down her form, and he noticed that she was walking with remarkable elegance for someone wearing heels as high as hers. Her smoky eyes were scanning the room, and when they met his, he noticed that they were of brown colour.

The two men watched with surprise as she made her way towards the target, swinging her hips from side to side in a manner that seemed to enchant every man in the room. When Dan noticed her approaching him, his mouth hung agape, his eyes trailing hungrily over her form and bulging when they met her cleavage. She immediately sat in on the chair in front of him, leaning forward and squeezing her breasts together, and Natsu was sure that Dan was getting the most embarrassing hard-on as he uncomfortably shifted in his seat.

Her hand trailed down Dan's arm, and she began speaking with a seductive smile on her lips. Dan seemed hung on her every word, and could only nod, as if he were stuck in a trance. When she started speaking more insistently, Dan seemed to break out of it, and looked at her with suspicion. He seemed to instantly relax when she smiled up at him, folding her legs in front of her and rubbing the side of her calf against his.

"Seems like a woman is interested in him after all," concluded Gray.

"I can't believe she had to look like that," replied Natsu, impressed. "I guess we both lose the bet then."

Natsu and Gray kept watching the exchange. Dan seemed to give in to whatever the woman was asking him, and started speaking animatedly and flirting with her. Her smile seemed to widen for a second, before becoming triumphant midway through their conversation. Her demeanour quickly changed, and she leaned back against her chair, uncrossing her legs and removing her arms from underneath her breasts. When fifteen minutes had passed, and Dan didn't seem close to be done talking, she smiled apologetically to him, and grabbed a tissue from the counter, before scribbling something on it. Natsu deemed it to probably be a fake number, as a woman looking like her would probably not go out with someone like Dan after bearing with him for more than two minutes.

"Damn, look at that rack. I'd pay to just get a handful," he heard a voice to his right say. He detached his eyes from the woman, who was standing up and bidding farewell to a dejected Dan.

"She looks straight out of a porno," laughed another, sitting with the man who had first spoken. They were both big bulky men, and had a dangerous glint in their eyes. "And not one of those low-quality free pornos," he continued, taking a swig out of his beer, "I mean one of those with famous actresses, the ones you need a premium account to watch."

"They're probably fake," snorted his companion, mimicking the shape of her _goods_ with his hands, and Natsu couldn't help but feel disgusted by their behaviour.

"You're shitting me," snorted his friend. "Look at the way they bounce," he pointed out, and both stared at the way her breasts moved with her steps. "It looks way too natural, and I've seen enough fake ones in my life to know that."

There was a pause, as both men watched her step away from Dan. "She looks alone," said one of them, watching as she made her way out of the bar. He put his bottle on the counter, and stood up, licking his lips. "Come on, maybe we can catch up with her and have a good time."

His friend grinned wickedly, and stood up. "I like that idea. It's a good way to end the night."

Both walked out of the bar, passing in front of clueless individuals savouring their own drinks, and Natsu and Gray exchanged a look, quickly standing up from their seats. Their camouflage seemed to be working well if those two men spoke about doing something illegal right next to two FBI agents.

They followed the blonde woman and the two future offenders, walking out into the empty dark street in front of the bar. The blonde woman was standing a few meters away, talking animatedly on the phone with her handbag at her feet, and the men who followed her outside were walking towards her.

The woman was speaking in a language neither Natsu nor Gray understood, but recognized as being French from their limited knowledge from their language classes through high-school and college. There was a pause as the person on the other line spoke, and she ran a hand into her hair angrily, before speaking animatedly again. " _Non, vas te faire foutre. Tu ne m'as pas ramené l'information dont j'ai besoin._ "

"That's a pretty exotic language you're speaking there little lady," said one of them men. The blonde woman turned around, briefly glancing at them before speaking into her phone again.

" _Écoutes, il y a deux connards qui me dérangent. Tu me donnes deux secondes?_ "

She put her phone down, and looked at the two grinning men before speaking up. "Listen, gentlemen. I don't have time for this, so how about you go back inside and keep drinking whatever piss-flavoured beer you were having and we can all go home in one piece?"

They stared at her with surprise, before bursting into laughter. Natsu and Gray stood farther behind hidden in the shadows, waiting to see if the men were going to attempt anything before springing into action.

"Feisty, aren't you? You think you can take two men twice your size with that little body of yours? You can't even outrun us in those shoes," laughed the other man. His eyes trailed hungrily over her form, and she shivered in disgust. "Although for a little body, you've got some pretty big assets that we'd like to get our hands on."

The blonde woman barely moved, and Natsu felt impressed by her resilience. She was simply standing there, looking at them with an almost bored expression.

"Why isn't she running away or screaming for help?" whispered Gray.

"I don't know, but she can't do anything against men their size," replied Natsu, ready to jump into action.

She spoke once again, a little louder. "I was in the middle of firing someone over the phone, and you guys disrespectfully interrupted my pleasant conversation. So for the last time, may I ask you to leave?"

The two men laughed again, before they both approached her, quickly surrounding her. The man in front of her reached forwards, aiming to grab her hand, and Natsu jumped out of the shadows, quickly reaching for the gun hidden under his jacket. Before he could move any further, the blonde woman's swinging fist had landed on the assailant's jaw, and it cracked noisily. Natsu stopped in his tracks as he watched him go down with a cry. The other man grabbed her arms from behind, but it didn't last long as she stepped on his foot with her heel. He screamed in pain, but didn't release her arms until she swung her head backwards, hitting him in the face. He fell on his bottom, a hand on his throbbing nose.

The man she had punched had gotten back up at this point, and was aiming for her stomach. She quickly avoided it, brought her foot forwards, and connected it to his shin. He lost his balance and fell down, groaning painfully as he laid on his back, unmoving.

The woman huffed in annoyance and smoothed her dress back into place. She put the phone she had kept in her hand the whole time to her ear, and started speaking again.

" _Désolé pour ça. Et pour ton information, tu es renvoyé._ "

She turned off her phone, and grabbed the purse she had set on the ground to put it inside. She glanced at the two moaning men, giving them a disinterested shrug, and walked away as if nothing had happened, her stilettos clicking on the sidewalk.

Natsu and Gray, who had watched the whole thing without moving, stood in front of the bar's entrance with their mouths agape.

"Maybe we should take those two to the station," proposed Gray.

"I think they already got the punishment they deserve," replied Natsu, watching as the blonde woman became less and less visible. "We're undercover here, and we wouldn't want Straight to know that we're agents."

"Who the hell was that that woman?" mumbled the dark haired man, going back inside the bar.

Natsu stood there, watching as she retreated into the darkness of the night. "I don't know who she is, but I think I just fell in love."

 


	2. Part II

"I'm in position. Are you guys ready?"

"Positive. We have eyes on the two guards. They haven't sensed our approach yet, and they're sitting down on the ground."

"Good. I'm going in. Stay put, and don't come inside until you get my signal, or unless you don't hear from me."

Natsu turned off his earpiece, and secured his bulletproof vest around his chest. He was crouching behind a tree, hidden from whomever was in the huge mansion standing in front of him. His teammates were securing the perimeter, and taking down any guards around the place to avoid alarming the target, and to avoid his escape. Who knew what kind of escape the rich man had planned in case of crisis?

Natsu took hold of his gun, and silently walked towards the backdoor. Curiously, there was no one guarding it, and when he turned the handle, the door opened with no resistance. He had thought that he would have needed to use force to get in, but someone had apparently forgotten to close it. It was unlike Jose, who paid attention to every little detail, and was always surrounded by maximal protection. Something was definitely wrong about the situation.

When Dan Straight had caved in and spilled everything he knew about their ultimate target, he had mentioned Jose's name, explaining that he was closer to the big man, and could definitely lead them to him. He had promptly burst into tears, scolding himself for spilling the beans about his superior for the second time that week, and begged the agents interrogating him to keep him safe from danger. When they had asked him about who else he had told the information to, he had turned red, staring dreamily at the wall, but refused to speak, claiming to be too embarrassed for caving in to the person's demands.

Natsu made his way inside the darkness of the house, and a few steps inside, his leg hit something on the ground. When he looked down, he saw that there was a man, probably the person supposed to be on watch, lying in a pool of his own blood. There was a bullet wound on his chest that was still bleeding, indicating that he had only recently been shot.

Natsu grabbed his ear piece from around his neck, put it in his ear, and turned it on, before speaking in a low voice. "Erza, Gray. There's a man down. Something smells fishy about this."

Eza's started talking, her voice resonating in his ear. "We just checked the two guards. They're dead as well, and both have a bullet in their chests. Do you need backup?"

"No, keep watch on the perimeter in case someone tries to escape," he replied. "I don't see anything risky yet. I'll go inside to investigate, maybe Jose is still here."

Natsu waited for their agreement, and turned off the earpiece, keeping it in his ear this time in case something happened and he ended up needing backup of any kind from his two teammates.

Natsu was always the one sent investigating in cases where they were uncertain about what would occur, or to locations unknown to them. He was the most unpredictable, and that was why he would know how to react and adapt to any unforeseen circumstances, such as the one they were facing now.

He walked inside, holding his gun close to his ear with both hands, and climbed up the stairs where Jose was suspected to be hiding. There was a set of rooms in the dark hallway, and he saw that there were three other men lying on the ground, bullets in their chests. He looked inside the rooms he came across, finding them empty, and went up the stairs again to the next floor. There was only one set of double doors, and Natsu knew that Jose would be there. Villains always liked to be higher up, as if it were some kind of way to show their hierarchical standing and superiority.

The door was slightly open, and Natsu could see a dim light inside. He carefully pushed it open, looking around for any sign of danger, and walked inside when he deemed it empty. He was met by the smell of smoke, and could see a lit cigarette on a big desk on the other side of the room, sitting on an ashtray. Behind the desk was a big leather chair, and he could see a head peeking from behind it.

"Hands in the air," he spoke loudly, making his intentions clear and pointing the gun to the person hiding. But they didn't move, and simply sat there. Natsu approached carefully, and when he was right next to the desk, he moved a hand that was holding the gun to grab the chair. His other hand still pointing the gun towards the person, he slowly turned the chair around, and his eyes widened in surprise. He put the gun down, and stared at the surprising sight; Jose was sitting there, his eyes wide open and unmoving, a bullet in the middle of his forehead.

" _Motherfucker_ ," he whispered angrily, reaching for his earpiece. But he was stopped in his tracks when he felt the unmistakable pressure of a gun barrel at the back of his head.

"Don't move, and drop the gun on the desk," he heard a voice say. It was a feminine voice, and Natsu was frozen for a second, astonished that she was able to sneak up on him so easily.

"I said drop the gun on the desk," she repeated when he didn't obey, pushing the gun further into him.

He complied, carefully putting it down, and cursed himself for keeping his earpiece off. Erza would probably lecture him about it later, if he got out of there alive.

"If you move one muscle, I won't hesitate to put a bullet in your brain. Now walk towards the door, carefully."

Natsu obeyed, slowly making his way towards the exit. When he was in front of the door, she pushed him roughly, until his chest was tightly pressed against the door. She then promptly started running her hands against his sides and back, in a manner that Natsu assumed to be a way to make sure that he didn't have any other weapon on him. When she was satisfied, he was roughly grabbed by the shoulder and turned around, his back to the door.

In front of him stood a young blonde woman. She was wearing a black long sleeved shirt, tight leather pants, and black boots. Her hair was tied in a ponytail that was swinging against her back with her movements. When his gaze finally settled on her face, his eyes opened in shock; it was the same woman he had seen flirting with Dan Straight and fighting the two assailants a few weeks ago. The only difference was that there was much less skin showing this time, and he was the one at the receiving end of her violence.

She was still searching him, and when her hand sneaked inside his jacket, she smiled in triumph, and retrieved a smaller gun he had kept hidden in his pocket. She threw it away, and smiled widely when her eyes met his, noticing his astonished expression.

"Well hello there, I'm glad to see that you remember me. Did you and your partner like the little show I gave you at the bar?"

"Hottest thing I've ever seen," he spoke without thinking.

"Um um," she hummed in response, her hand trailing down his chest.

"I must say that this is a surprising turn of events," he spoke after a few moments, as she kept feeling him up. "I'm not saying I don't appreciate this, but maybe you should take me out on a date first," he smirked, his eyes following her hand.

"Aren't you the flirt," she smirked back. "You know I can kill you at any moment, right?"

"A man can try," he winked at her. "So, do you come here often, terrorizing criminals and agents alike?"

"Only when they're as attractive as you."

She smiled cockily, trailing a finger down his arm, and biting her lower lip. The action left a smudge of the dark red lipstick she was wearing on her front tooth, and he felt the strangest urge to lick it away. For some reason, the thought seemed too appealing for the circumstances, but the thrill was accentuated by the dangerousness of the situation.

"So, why did you kill Jose? Did someone send you to do it?"

The woman put some distance between herself and Natsu, removing her hand from his body, and he felt strangely disappointed. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"Hell yeah I would," he replied. "We needed the man, and you barge inside and shoot him before we can even ask him one question. If you're going to kill me, you can at least tell me what your motives are."

She laughed, a full open-mouthed laugh in which she threw her head backwards, exposing the entire expanse of her neck. When she calmed down, she wiped the invisible tears from her eyes, and chuckled to herself. "Oh, you're a funny one. This is not some spy movie where the villain explains his entire plan to the good guy before killing him, big boy," she said, pausing for a moment. "Besides, I'm not a killer. You'll be fine Mr. hot agent."

Natsu furrowed his eyebrows, looking behind her at the corpse sitting on the chair. "What do you mean you're not a killer? There's a bullet in Jose's forehead, he looks pretty dead to me."

"I don't know about that," she shrugged, playing with her gun. "I found him like that when I came here. I've got to admit that you guys were a surprise. I didn't expect you to be here tonight."

He nodded, suspicious. "Okay, let's pretend you didn't kill him then. Why did you come here, and who sent you?"

"No one, I work alone," she replied. "And my reasons are the same as yours; information." She looked back at Jose, and sighed in disappointment. "Some bastard got here before me. I'm going to have to do the work all over again. It wasn't very pleasant to throw myself all over that guy, he almost gave me a headache."

"Are you talking about Dan Straight?" he questioned, watching her red-coloured lips move with every word she spoke, and licking his own lips. She seemed to have noticed, as she smiled seductively, approaching him once more and pressing her body against his. He gulped imperceptibly, knowing that he couldn't do anything while she held a gun in her hand. He shivered when one of her hands sneaked inside of his bulletproof vest, and felt himself getting aroused as she traced the muscles of his abdomen over the thin shirt he wore underneath the vest.

The blonde woman must have felt his arousal, because she ground her hips against his, and he groaned loudly, biting his lower lip hard enough to draw blood.

"You're playing with fire here," he let out in a breath, his eyes clouded by desire.

She laughed, bringing the gun she held in her hand to his face and tapping the barrel against his temple. "I think you're mistaken. You're the one who might get burned, hotshot."

He took a deep breath. "Are you going to let me go now or what? My teammates are coming up soon, you wouldn't want to meet my superior. Erza's a scary woman."

"You already want to get rid of me?" she said, twiddling with the scarf around his neck. She detached herself from him, and he felt disappointed when he couldn't feel the heat of her body anymore. "I thought we were just getting started here. But if you want me to leave, then I'll go."

The words left his mouth before he could stop them. "Can I at least get a kiss before you disappear?"

She looked at him is surprise, her composure faltering slightly, before she smiled. He felt his cheeks heat up, and looked sideways, embarrassed by the absurdity of his request. She yanked him by the scarf, dragging him behind her, and pushed him against the desk until he was almost sitting on it. He felt her hands on his knees, and she pushed them apart, settling between his legs and pressing her body against his. She looked at him through half-lidded eyes, before she pulled him down by his scarf, pressing her lips to his.

At that point, the fact that he was there for a mission had completely slipped his mind. A simple touch of her lips and he was a goner. Her hands trailed up his face, and she buried them in his pink locks, tugging slightly, and he groaned into her mouth, allowing her to slip her tongue between his lips.

When their tongues met, Natsu tilted his head to the side, giving her full access to his mouth. She trailed her hands down his shoulders and past his vest, before grabbing a handful of his backside, making him moan into her mouth. He wanted to touch her, but he kept his hands on the desk in fear of getting shot. She was the one who had told him not to move after all, and after seeing her beat up two men twice her size in mere seconds, he didn't want to cross her in any ways. Erza's daily violence was enough for him.

Her hand ran along his arm, and he felt a light pressure on his wrist. She removed her tongue from his mouth, and bit his lower lip, before removing herself from his embrace, leaving him dazed and confused. When she backed away from him, he noticed that her lipstick was smudged all over her mouth, a wide smile stretching her lips. If he were being honest with himself, it was the hottest thing he had ever seen in his entire life.

"That's my little goodbye gift to you, you better treasure it" she told him. "But I doubt it's the last time we're going to see each other."

Both heard footsteps coming from downstairs, and the blonde woman smiled at him, walking towards the balcony. She opened the glass doors, and walked to the edge, looking down to judge how many meters up in the air she was. Natsu stood up from the desk, attempting to follow her and stop her from doing something reckless, but he was yanked back when something tugged at his wrist; she had handcuffed him to the desk with the handcuffs that were in his back pocket. He groaned in defeat, and she must have heard the sound, because she turned around and winked at him, reaching into her pocket and taking the keys, dangling them in front of her face.

"Oh come on," he moaned. "You're not going to leave me here like this! Give me back the keys at least!"

"Your teammates are coming up, I'm not leaving you to die," she smiled, rolling her eyes and putting the keys back inside her pocket. "I'm keeping these as a souvenir. Until next time, salamander."

Natsu didn't have time to ask her how she knew who he was before she jumped from the balcony. He watched with wide eyes as she disappeared into the darkness of the night once again, groaning about how he had been so easily tricked by her. He had never met a woman so tantalizing, and had never been more attracted to someone in his life. She was fierce and aggressive, and so were many other women he knew in the FBI. But there was something different about her, something intoxicating that drew him to her like a magnet.

He was yanked out from his reverie when the office door sprung open, and Erza entered the room, followed by Gray. Both stopped walking when they noticed their teammate, and the state he was in.

"Well, _fuck_ ," muttered Natsu. He was never going to hear the end of it.

"What happened to you, flame-brain?" asked Gray. "Did you face battle with a tube of lipstick?"

"Shut the fuck up," he groaned.

"What happened?" asked Erza. "We came up when you didn't turn on your earpiece. I see that you're unharmed."

"Jose is dead," he told her, and her eyes drifted towards the chair, where the target was left motionless. "I found him like this when I came here. The killer was already long gone."

"And who did this to you?" asked Gray, pointing at his face. Erza had walked towards the body, and had started examining it from afar, not wanting to get any closer in fear of compromising the evidence.

"There was a woman here. She took me by surprise."

"How does that explain the lipstick on your face?" mused Gray, before realization struck him. "Did you make out with her or something?"

"No," he defended himself. He refused to let Gray know about his moment of weakness. "She had her gun pressed against my head the whole time! She's the one who kissed me."

"And you let her go?" explained Erza. "She's the killer, and you let her escape! I thought we sent you upstairs to manage any unpredictability, I see that it has completely played against you."

"I don't think she's the killer," he grumbled under his breath.

Gray laughed, patting him on the back. "All it took was for a random woman to kiss you and you lose your mind. It must have been a good kiss."

"It wasn't a random woman," he retorted aggressively. "It was the woman from the bar. She was the one here."

"You mean blondie? The one who kicked ass?" he asked, surprised. "Well, now that explains a lot. She had some great moves."

"Where did she go?" demanded Erza, pacing around the room in search of any other hidden threat.

"She jumped off the balcony," replied Natsu. "That's why I told you to stay put! You could have caught her if you didn't come upstairs."

"It doesn't matter," told him Erza, making her way towards the balcony to look for any sign of the blonde woman. "If she's the killer, we'll catch her eventually."

"Now let's go," told him Gray, signalling for Erza to leave the room. "We have to call the team to collect any DNA on the scene."

"Um, I think I'm going to need help with that," told them Natsu, lifting his arm to show that he was handcuffed to the desk.

Gray laughed, throwing his head back and holding his stomach. Erza chose to cross her arms, and glare angrily at him.

"Damn, that girl sure is a kinky one," said Gray, wiping the tears from his eyes.

At the end, Natsu had to wait for Gajeel to come and cut the handcuffs since they didn't have the material to do it. It was of course after the pierced man had laughed for an eternity, promising to never let it go, especially after seeing the red smudged all over Natsu's lips.

Natsu's face was flushed, a comical shade of red coating his cheeks the whole time, but the mysterious woman plagued his thoughts for an even longer time after that.

 


	3. Part III

The music was loud, and it resonated in Natsu's ears with force, making him wince as a he felt a headache forming.

After Jose's death, the FBI had taken the necessary precautions, knowing that the big boss had probably figured out that someone was after him after the death of one of his closest subordinates, and they were forced to double their efforts and put incredible amounts of time into their case.

Tonight, Natsu was at the Grimoire Heart club located in a shady area in Magnolia, which was particularly known for being frequented by a lot of gang members. The particular club he found himself at was a place where many gang leaders made deals and signed contracts. It was rumoured that a very particular man owned the club, disguising it via hiring less known individuals to run it. That particular man was the one they were looking for; Hades.

Marakov had sent him there to observe who frequented it more often, and see if there were anything that could lead them to Hades. Natsu had already been at it for two weeks, and he felt like he was now permanently coated with the the sweaty aroma and the heavy arousal of those grinding against each other on the dance floor.

There was a particular door at the back of the club that was constantly being guarded by a big guy (he had later learned that his name was Kain), who would scare off anyone who would stare at the mysterious entrance for too long. It had caught Natsu's attention, and he had kept watch on it night after night. Men and woman alike would sometimes enter, wearing expensive suits and designer dresses, and either exit with huge smiles on their faces or simply defeat. He realized that the door led to the club's 'owner', where he would strike deals with other rich criminals. Most people he saw entering were smaller gang leaders that were already heavily watched by the police, and were not threatening enough for the FBI to deal with. Natsu had ultimately decided to completely close his eyes on the matter, but was now reconsidering it as he grew completely bored out of his mind. Because he was on duty, he couldn't even drink more than a glass in fear of compromising the mission. But it was clear, and Natsu wasn't stupid; Hades was hiding somewhere safer. He would not go to public places such as Grimoire Heart, a club everyone suspected that he owned.

Natsu had already given up, and was close to dialing Marakov and telling him that he was done with the mission. He wanted nothing more than to go home, lay on his sofa with his cat Happy on his chest, and watch some TV show with a lot of violence.

 _Game of Thrones sounds good right now_ , he thought. _Nothing sounds better than dragons and blood to let go of some frustration._

He was about to take his phone out of his pocket, when something unexpected (and yet completely expected at the same time) caught his attention; the same blonde woman he kept seeing everywhere was leaving the guarded room. She passed by the guard, and nodded at Kain, promptly making her way in between the dancing bodies. She had come back to wearing more provocative clothes, although she looked a bit more formal than that night with Dan Straight.

She was wearing a red high-waisted pencil skirt that tightly hugged her behind, and that ended a few inches above the knees. She was also wearing a black blouse tucked inside the skirt, the sleeves reaching her elbows, and showing an exorbitant amount of cleavage through the first two undone buttons. Her long blonde hair was curled, framing her face beautifully, and she was holding a small red handbag in her hand.

Seeing her revived a multitude of emotions inside Natsu, and he couldn't help but follow her with his eyes. She almost looked out of place, pristine and delicate in the midst of the sweaty dancers, but he knew better than to deem her fragile. His mouth went dry when he noticed that she was wearing red lipstick the same shade as the one she left on his mouth after the breathtaking kiss she had given him.

He grabbed the only glass of whiskey he ordered that night and had barely touched, and downed it in one swift motion. He was a true believer in liquid courage.

He quickly got up, and made his way towards the blonde beauty before she left the place. It was a bit difficult to maneuver his body on the dance floor, but soon enough, he was behind her, shamelessly staring at the way her hips swung from side to side. On a whim, he decided to grab her hips, and drag her backwards until she was pressed up against his body. He felt her stiffen up, and thought for a second that she was going to punch him in the face for being too daring, but she looked up and noticed his pink hair and leaned further into his frame.

"It seems like I'm seeing you everywhere, hotshot," she mused loudly. "Are you following me?"

"I should be asking you that," he replied in her ear, swinging his hips to the rhythm of the loud music. She mimicked his movement, deliciously rubbing against him, and he lightly groaned at the feeling. "You got me into the quite compromising position at Jose's house, you got me all hot and bothered and left me there. My partners will never make me forget it."

She laughed, and he felt her shoulders shake against his torso. "Don't you have a mission or something, Salamander?"

"Perhaps," he hummed against her. Despite the rapid rhythm of the song, they were dancing slowly, and Natsu had no complaint as he liked the way she rubbed her behind against him. "Besides, how do you know that I have a mission? And how do you know who I am?"

"Who wouldn't know the great Salamander of Fairy Tail, the famous FBI unit?" she chuckled, but he could distinguish a touch of irony in her words. "Besides, a good man like you wouldn't find himself in a place like this if it weren't for something important."

"I didn't know we were famous," smiled Natsu.

"Don't flatter yourself, I'm only joking. I did my research, _chéri_."

"Since you know who I am, it's only fair that you tell me who you are," he pointed out.

"I'm no one important, not for you at least," she replied.

There was a moment where neither of them spoke, simply basking in the feeling of each other's bodies. "Since you came out of that room, I'm going to assume that you're made of money, and that you went there to collect information through payments," said Natsu.

She whistled lowly, impressed. "Not bad, you're quite the observant man, agent."

"I still didn't notice when you stole the handcuffs and the keys from me," he said.

"For your defense, you had my tongue down your throat," she replied, turning around to press her chest to his and look up into his eyes. "I'm pretty good with my tongue."

Her words shot a jolt straight to Natsu's groin, and he bit his lip to stop himself from pouncing her. She was the perfect pictures of temptation, especially with those bloody red lips and those seductive eyes. He shivered when she ran her fingers down his chest, the feeling accentuated by the absence of a bulletproof vest this time.

"You know, I was in the scene of the crime last time. Shouldn't you be arresting me? Or did you take me for my word when I told you that I didn't kill Jose?" she asked, wonder in her eyes.

He nodded. "Yeah. For some reason, I feel like you're not lying. Something's pushing me to believe you, even though I have no idea why you need information, and what kind of information you're looking for."

Her gaze softened for a second. "You're too trusting. That's not very good for you, Salamander."

"I've been told," he hummed in agreement. "So what kind of information are you looking for that requires you to hang around in this dump?"

"That, you don't need to know, pretty boy," she replied.

"You're full of mysteries, and I'm going to figure you out one day," he told her, looking deeply into her eyes. She seemed disconcerted for a second, her mouth opening slightly, and his gaze drifted once again to her lips.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, you don't even know my name" she whispered, looking away.

"I always keep my promises," he whispered back, bending over to reach her ear. "I noticed that you were leaving earlier, does that mean that I'm going to find another body if I go look in the back?"

Her playful demeanour suddenly retuned, and she smiled seductively at him, licking her lip and trailing her eyes down his form. "If everything bodes well tonight, I'm going to take someone's body instead."

"Is that so?" asked Natsu.

"You tell me. Is everything going well in your opinion?"

Natsu thought about the way she was all pressed up against him, as they swung to the rhythm of the music. She was the sharpest and most beautiful woman he had ever met in is life, and everything about her intrigued him. She was his biggest mystery, and he had never wanted to solve one as much as he did before he met her. "Absolutely."

Uncertainty crossed her face, and his eyes widened slightly; she had always been confident around him, and he was not used to seeing her like that. But the expression stayed for only a brief moment, and she was smiling at him confidently once again.

"How about we get out of here?" she asked, and Natsu felt his heart stop in his chest.

-: :-

Natsu was roughly pushed against the wall as hands worked furiously on his dress shirt, yanking at the buttons in an attempt to open it. His partner got impatient, and simply put his shirt up his chest, and he continued the motion by yanking it over his head and putting it next to him. But he made sure to keep his scarf in place around his neck.

The blonde woman had grabbed him by the hand after making her curious proposition, walked through the dancing bodies, and entered one of the bathrooms. She had quickly locked it behind her, and unceremoniously pushed him against the wall. The bathroom was filthy, and the walls were littered with crude drawings. It smelled heavily of marijuana and piss, but when she attached her mouth to his, Natsu stopped caring about anything but the woman in his arms. There was nothing gentle about her movements. They were rough and impatient, almost desperate, but Natsu didn't mind as long as he could _feel_ her.

"That's not what I was thinking about when you suggested that we get out of there. I was thinking about something more in the lines of a bed, maybe some rose petals," he chuckled into her mouth.

" _Fuck_ your petals," she groaned, biting his lip. It was the first time he had heard her swear, and the contrast between the crude words and her soft appearance excited him beyond belief.

Her hands were rubbing his chest, running along the expanse of skin, her nails scraping his muscles and leaving red marks behind. She momentarily detached herself from him, and stared at his upper body. Her eyebrow quirked when she noticed the tattoo on his bicep.

"A dragon? Really?" she questioned.

"Dragon are tight," he replied, scratching the back of his neck, and she laughed.

"You're a huge dork," she smiled genuinely at him, and he felt his heartrate spike. He couldn't help but smile back, thinking that it was strangely intimate to have such a discussion with someone he didn't know the name of in the midst of what he assumed would be a quick fuck in the bathroom of a shady club. Wasn't he the one who told Gray that he would not fuck a random woman in a bar a few weeks ago?

She grabbed her top, undoing its buttons, and Natsu was the one who felt impatient this time. The movement of her hands going through the buttons was building his anticipation in the most exciting way. When she was finally done, she removed the blouse and set it on top of his, not wanting it to get dirty from whatever might be on the ground of the bathroom. She quickly reached behind her, and grabbed the back of the red lacy bra that had Natsu breathing heavily. She unclasped it, quickly removing it and throwing it on the side, exposing the best set of breasts Natsu had ever laid his eyes on.

His hands immediately took hold of the globes, massaging them and marvelling at their plumpness and softness, and feeling the hard tips against his palms. She sighed in content under his ministrations, kissing him once again. Natsu flicked her nipples with his thumbs, and a moan escaped her lips, turning into a groan as he rolled them between his fingers. She was really sensitive in that area if she were that responsive to his touch.

Natsu detached his mouth from hers, looking into her eyes, and frowned when he noticed that her lipstick was still perfectly applied on her lips. He touched his own lips, looking at his fingers afterwards, and seeing no trace of the red coating.

"It's a special lipstick," she mumbled, reading his mind. "It stays on."

"Did you wear it because you expected to kiss someone tonight?" he asked in amusement, and she flushed at his comment, the blush reaching the top of her breasts.

He chuckled at her reaction, before latching his mouth to her throat, and sucking at it. His mouth trailed lower, leaving mark on its wake, and scraping at the skin with his teeth. The woman ran her hands down his sides, rubbing the hard muscles of his abdomen with appreciation. His mouth went back up, licking the marks he left behind. When he reached her ear, he grabbed one earlobe between his teeth, and sucked harshly on it, feeling the shiver that went up the woman's form. He smirked, proud of the reactions he drew out of her, and abruptly turned them around, pinning her against the wall, and bending over to grab a nipple between his lips.

Her hands went to his hair, tugging at his pink locks. Natsu couldn't help but groan into her, as he ran his tongue over a perky nipple, reaching for the neglected breast to massage it with his hand. He repeated the same motion with the other breast, enjoying the moans he got from her, before he sucked at it, and she threw her head back against the wall, breathing heavily. His mouth detached from the peak, leaving a wet patch on her nipple, and he took a good look at her.

She was leaning against the wall, her eyes closed, and her face set in a blissful expression. His hands reached lower, and grabbed the hem of her skirt. He lifted it up until it was around her waist, and looked appreciatively and the red lacy panties she was wearing underneath. His hand reached for the noticeably wet patch, and he kissed her as he ran his fingers along her clothed womanhood, feeling her shudder in his arms at the contact.

He caressed her for a few moments, before she got impatient and yanked his head back by the hair. "Stop that, you're too slow. Just fuck me already."

He delved into her mouth, catching her lower lips between his teeth, and released it with a small _smack_. "I can't help but tease you, you fire me up."

She rolled her eyes. "Is that your best pickup line?"

"I think we're way past that," he replied. The fingers on her clothed womanhood pushed her panties aside, and the sharp contact of his fingers with the sensitive skin down there made her push her legs further apart, allowing him more access to her cunt. She leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes to savour the feeling of his fingers working on her lower lips. Natsu kept watching her expression, drinking her in and printing the image in his brain. He caressed her core with long languid movements, only pressing lightly on her clit, and she groaned in disappointment each time the much needed pressure didn't come. He took pity on her, and grabbed the sensitive nub between his fingers, rolling it experimentally, and she cried out, her legs trembling from the pleasure overcoming her body.

When he removed his fingers from her vulva, he knelt in front of her, overcome by his desire to taste her, and she opened her eyes, looking down at him with wonder.

"What are you- _oh_!" she moaned, when his tongue came in contact with her core, and fisted her hands in his hair. He spread her legs further apart, grabbing one of them by the thigh and putting it over his shoulder, before lapping at her cunt with eagerness. She was rolling her lips, rubbing her core against his mouth as she moaned in pleasure. His tongue went up her slit, focusing on her clit by giving it repeated short and sharp licks. He could feel the juices overflowing from her vagina coating his lips and dripping down his chin. But at that moment, all he cared about was for the blonde woman to come undone in his mouth, as he kept observing her from his fantastic position and taking in every sharp breath and tremor.

She was currently mumbling incoherent words, and he could distinguish bits and pieces such as _please_ and _more_ , and he promptly obeyed by putting a finger inside of her. Her pelvis bucked against his hand, and he added a second finger when he judged her wet enough to receive it. He slowly thrust his two digits in and out of her, moving them slowly, and alternated between licking and sucking on her engorged bundle of nerves. When he curled his fingers inside of her and started thrusting faster, he heard her breath catch in her throat, and her mouth opened in a silent cry. He momentarily stopped his movement, giving her a second to catch her breath, before going at it again; thrusting, licking, sucking, and repeating the motion over and over.

He debated adding a third finger, judging it doable with the copious amount of liquid pouring out of her, but when he grabbed her clit between his teeth, her orgasm racked through her body before he could follow with his train of thought. It must have been intense, because he could see strong convulsions going through her frame, and her legs clamped closer, the one on his shoulder trapping his head in the juncture of her knee.

When she stopped trembling, he removed the leg around his neck and set it on the ground, holding her by the thighs to support her weak legs. He wiped the wetness coating his mouth and chin, and kissed the blonde woman, allowing her to taste herself in his mouth.

Her hands reached down to trace the waistband of his trousers, leaving light feathered caresses on their trail. She grabbed his belt, hastily unbuckling it all the while kissing him, and unzipped his pants, letting them fall down to his knees. A soft hand reached inside of his underwear, firmly grabbing his throbbing member, and Natsu's brain short-circuited.

He stopped kissing her, resting his forehead against hers, and stared into her eyes while her hand rubbed his length. His breath caught in his throat when her finger ran along his slit, and she smiled playfully at his reaction, grabbing the hem of his boxers to slip them down his legs, pushing them down until they joined his pants. When his penis met the colder air of the bathroom, he grabbed her hips, pressing their pelvises against each other, and rubbed his member against her folds, coating it with her juices. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and his hands reached to take hold of her thighs to support her and grind his hips against hers.

" _Oh merde,_ " she let out in a shaky breath. Natsu had never considered dirty talk during sex before, but hearing her speak French was tenfold better, and a lot sexier.

"Did I make you forget English?" he teased, his cock still rubbing against her cunt.

"Shut up and just fuck me, or I'll shoot your balls off" she groaned out.

Natsu licked his lips, and grabbed his member in his hand, guiding it to her entrance. His fingers dug into her hips, and he slammed his entire length inside of her in one sharp thrust. She rested her forehead on his shoulder, biting at the skin there, and whimpered in pain, making Natsu freeze in his tracks.

"Are you okay?" he asked, genuine concern in his tone.

"Y-yeah, don't mind me, just don't stop," she answered, her voice muffled by his shoulder.

"Shit," he groaned. She felt too good, wrapped around him like a glove. "You shouldn't have let me take your virginity against the wall of a dirty bathroom."

"It doesn't matter if it's my first or thousandth time, it's just sex" she replied, digging her nails into his back, leaving half-moon scars behind. "Just keep going."

Natsu obeyed, removing himself slowly, still astonished that a beauty like her had never been this close to a man before, especially after seeing her lead Dan Straight around by the tip of his dick, easily extracting information from him. She had just become even more enigmatic than he had anticipated.

He kept slowly thrusting in and out of her, and she removed her head from his shoulder to let it rest against the wall, her eyes closed and her teeth digging into her bottom lip. The heels of her stilettos dug into his backside, urging him to go faster, but he would not comply, preferring to let her adjust to his size for a moment longer. Although he wasn't huge by any means, he had been told by his past partners that he wasn't small either.

The blonde woman opened her eyes and stared at him in frustration, and he only smiled cockily at her. She unwrapped an arm from around his neck and reached for her bag on the sink next to them, putting her hand inside and searching blindly. Natsu didn't notice, entirely hypnotized by the way her breasts would move up and down with his thrusts, until she pressed the barrel of her gun against his temple.

"I don't recall telling you to treat me like a porcelain doll," she muttered out.

"Is having you pointing your gun at me going to become a habit now every time things don't go your way?" he asked, gritting his teeth.

"Only when you're being a disobedient little boy. Now I'm going to need you to fuck my brains out if you don't want me to shoot your brains out," she told him, dragging the gun down the side of his face.

Natsu obeyed, not because he took her threat seriously, but because he really, _really_ wanted to pound her like there was no tomorrow.

"Don't blame me if you can't walk straight after this," he warned her, before completely removing himself from her warmth, and entering her in one hard thrust. She screamed loudly at the suddenness of the movement, and dropped the gun on the ground to dig her nails into his shoulders. He kept pounding into her, resting his forehead against her shoulder, muffling his groans. The blonde woman was whimpering in his arms, scratching his back and making him wince at the pain. He was sure that he would find multiple marks if he looked into the mirror, but at that instant, the pain only intensified his pleasure.

He was startled out of his trance when he felt wetness at the back of his neck, and looked up at her to see tears streaming down her face. He was surprised, thinking that maybe he was hurting her, but her moans of pleasure told him otherwise; it was something that went deeper than that, and that he probably had no insight on. So he simply reached over and kissed her deeply. She returned it just as fiercely, moaning into his mouth.

He thrust inside of her for exactly thirteen minutes and twenty-two seconds, before his arms got tired of holding her up against the wall. He stopped his thrusting, and removed himself from within her, dropping her legs on the ground. She started protesting, but he silenced her by roughly grabbing her hips and dragging her in front of the sink. He bent her over until her ass was hanging in the air at his disposal. He grabbed her hips, digging his thumbs into the dimples at her lower back, and entered her from behind, watching as her hands reached to take hold of the sink. The new angle made her scream in pleasure, and he couldn't help but bend down over her and drag his tongue up the length of her spine, tasting the salt from the sweat coating her skin. Her back was an angry shade of her, scratches marring it due to the friction of the wall she had been pressed up against earlier.

He looked up in front of them, and saw himself in the cracked mirror, hair disheveled and a feral look in his eyes. He felt the urge to see her expression as well, so he sneaked a hand underneath her breasts and pulled up her upper body, until her back was pressed against his torso. She leaned the back of her head against his shoulder, and he could feel her hair tickle his chest pleasantly. In the mirror, he could see her expression of pure pleasure, her eyes closed and her mouth open, and her breasts heaving and bouncing with his thrusts. He buried his face in her neck and nibbled at the sensitive skin already marred with angry red marks, some of them already turning blue.

"Holy _shit_ ," she muttered, "I'm so close."

Natsu was also close to his release, and he would be damned if he let himself cum before her. He grabbed one of her breasts, and his other hand reached for her entrance, rubbing her clit furiously as she met his fast thrusts. He felt her walls clamping around him, and he groaned into her ear, feeling himself getting close to his release. She fortunately beat him to it, falling apart in his arms with one final scream, and he was glad that the music in the club was loud enough to muffle the sound from the people outside of the bathroom. Her legs gave out from underneath her, and he held her against his body with an arm around her waist, thrusting inside of her a few more times before bending her over the sink once again, removing himself from inside her, and releasing himself all over her lower back.

They stayed in their position, catching their breath, and Natsu moved backwards, reaching for the toilet paper to wipe the white substance he left on the blonde woman. He was glad that the skirt around her waist had ridden higher up her torso, because he was sure that she would have punched him if he had stained it.

When the sticky substance had all been collected, he threw the paper in the toilet, flushing it away, and pulled his underwear and pants up, watching her as she shakily stood up, adjusted her panties, and pulled her skirt down her legs. She grabbed her bra and blouse, throwing him his shirt by the same means, and they both got dressed in silence. When Natsu was done, he noticed her gun on the ground and grabbed it, giving it to the blonde woman.

"You shouldn't have dropped it, it could have gone off," he said.

"The safety was on," she mumbled back coldly, grabbing the gun and avoiding his eyes. She looked up in the mirror, adjusting her hair, and made her way towards the door to unlock it. Her legs were slightly wobbly, and Natsu felt proud that he hadn't lost his touch, hoping that he might have increased her expectations concerning sex.

When he realized that she was leaving, he hurriedly grabbed her arm and turned her around, staring deeply into her eyes.

"Hey, can I at least have a name?" he asked.

"You don't need it," she replied back. "This was just a onetime thing, and you're not going to see me again after this."

Natsu stayed silent for a few seconds, before bringing her to his chest and joining their mouths together, taking her breath away. When he finally released her, he gave her a cocky smile that left her mouth agape.

"I told you that I would figure you out, and I always keep my promises," he whispered. "So until next time?"

She clamped her mouth shut, and turned around, hurriedly fleeing the bathroom. Natsu stood behind, watching her as she retreated, wondering if all their meetings would always end up with her disappearing after stealing another piece of his heart.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm enjoying writing this story a tad bit too much, it's just fun to write a badass Lucy, who is still somewhat vulnerable for some unknown reasons *wink wink*
> 
> I apologize for all the description during the smut, but I like it that way. I also want to add that the part where Lucy feels pain is not realistic. Women aren't supposed to feel pain if they're wet enough their first time. It's only for the sake of the story, so don't base sex on this.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter was focused on Lucy and Natsu, and the next part will be all about the case and its link with Lucy.
> 
> I just had to sneak in a reference to Game of Thrones in there, since Natsu is a dragon slayer and all. I just love the show. Shout-out to fellow fans out there ;)
> 
> Translation: Chéri - Honey/dear/darling , Merde - Shit
> 
> (To be honest French really isn't that sexy in real life, especially when it comes to certain accents.)


	4. Part IV

"I've seen you refill that cup three times already, and it's not even ten. Did you get any sleep at all?"

Natsu's head shot open, startled by Gray's voice, spilling coffee on his white shirt from the cup he was holding in his hand.

"Uh, yeah. I went home late yesterday," he replied, frowning at the mess he had just made.

"Had a bit too much fun perhaps?" smirked Gray, putting his feet up on his desk, and laying back on his chair to look quizzically at his partner.

"I was on the case, you stripper," grumbled Natsu, his cheeks dusted with red as he remembered his unexpected _passionate_ encounter. He wasn't about to tell him that he couldn't sleep because his thoughts were plagued by his mysterious woman.

"Stop calling me that, you idiot," snarled Gray.

"Why not? The name suits you. I'll stop when you quit your perversions," smirked the pink haired man, putting his cup on his desk. "Where's your shirt, by the way?"

Gray looked down at his torso, and sighed in defeat, looking around for his top. It was lying on the ground at his feet, and he couldn't help but stare at it for a few seconds. "I'm too lazy to even get down and pick it up."

Natsu shook his head in annoyance. He got up to get a clean shirt to change into out of his bag. He always kept one there in case of emergencies. He picked up Gray's shirt on the way, tossing it at him, and started unbuttoning his own top.

There weren't a lot of people in the office today, most of them on the field, and Natsu and Gray had been ordered by Erza to stay inside in their shared office room and write their late reports. They had of course objected to the idea at first, both being men of action, but her glare sent them cowering back to their seats.

"Looks like the nickname doesn't only apply to me now," said Gray, watching him as he stood shirtless in the middle of the room.

"It's your fault that my shirt is stained," grumbled Natsu, turning around from his partner to take the clean shirt in his hands.

"Don't blame for you own clumsiness _-holy shit Natsu_ ," gasped Gray, startling his partner. The fact that Gray had called him by him name alone was alarming, but he could also hear the genuine shock in his voice.

He turned around, eyes wide open, and furrowed his eyebrows at the other male. "What? What is it?"

"What the hell happened to your back?"

"My back?" asked Natsu.

Gray nodded. "You have scratches all over it. And not some _I bumped into the wall_ kind of scratches, it looks like a tiger used you as a scratching post."

Natsu stood frozen in place for a moment, before his tan face turned crimson, competing with the colour of his hair, as he hurriedly put his shirt on.

"Uh, well," he stuttered out. He really didn't know how to explain the marks on his back, so he opted for the offensive. "I-it's nothing. It's none of your business anyway!"

Gray's astonished face slowly left place for a giddy kind of look, his lips stretching into a wide grin, like a kid's face on Christmas. "Did you…get laid by any chance?"

Natsu grumbled something unintelligible, refusing to look at Gray, and the dark-haired man's smile only widened. "I can't believe this, you're not a virgin anymore!"

Natsu glared angrily at him. "I wasn't a virgin before either!"

Gray smiled smugly. "Ah, so you did get laid! Who was it, tell me?" his stopped in his tracks, and stared at Natsu with curiosity. "Don't tell me you got back with Lisanna?"

Natsu scowled, sitting back on his chair. "No, it's been over for ages. We're just friends now."

"Okay. Who did you sleep with then?"

"You don't need to know that," replied Natsu, flipping through a document he had on his desk, before sighing in discontent and setting it back on the desk. "I hate this, why did Erza force us to stay inside? I wanted to go with the others to help with the questioning."

"It probably has something to do with us skipping paperwork for the last few weeks," laughed Gray. "If you're that bored, you can always tell me about that mystery woman of yours."

"Knock it off already. Why do you need to know anyway?"

"It's not often that the great Salamander gets flustered over a woman," replied Gray with a tint of irony in his words. "She must be a special one."

Natsu's expression turned thoughtful for a moment as he pictured the blonde woman's face, her soulful eyes, and her _oh-so_ tempting lips. She was indeed one special woman, and she made his heart beat faster than he thought it ever would, and only after three encounters.

"Take that stupid look off your face," said Gray after a long silence. "You look disgustingly mushy."

Natsu glared at him. "Who are you calling mushy, you ass?"

"You, of course. Now are you going to answer my questions or what?"

Natsu sighed in annoyance, giving in to Gray's insistence. They might be the biggest rivals in the office, but if there were someone Natsu could choose to trust with his issues, it would be Gray. They had known each other since they were ten years old, and despite their constant bickering and fighting, they're been through everything together for the last fifteen years.

"Fine. But whatever I tell you cannot leave this room, understood? If I hear about it from someone else, I'll rip your head off."

Gray looked at him in surprise. "Wow, this must be some important shit if you're threatening me."

"The thing is that if Erza or gramps' hear about, they'll be very disappointed, and I'm not sure I would be able to keep this job," said Natsu.

"Did you do something illegal or what?" asked Gray.

"Not necessarily. But let's say that there's some stuff concerning our case that I should have told them. Remember when we went to Jose's house?" he asked.

"Yeah," laughed Gray. "How can I forget that? You got handcuffed and left behind, your face painted red. I don't think I even _want_ to forget."

"Yeah, well," continued Natsu, choosing to ignore Gray's snide remark, "the woman who handcuffed me, the same one that we saw at the bar-"

"Wait, wait, wait," cut him off Gray. "Are you trying to tell me that you slept with that blonde bombshell?"

Natsu nodded sheepishly. "I saw her at Grimoire Heart when I was on duty."

Gray looked at him for a few seconds, before bursting into laughter. "You banged a stranger –who might also be a criminal- while you were supposed to be working on the case?"

Natsu shifted uncomfortably. "I admit it's not the smartest thing to do, but you would have done the same thing! I had been at it for two weeks, and nothing happened! I was bored out of my mind, until she came along. Man, you should have seen her. She was a sight."

Gray stared at him, before smiling perversely. "Was she good at least?"

"Well, it was definitely worth it," mumbled Natsu. "It's the third time that I've seen her in a place related to Hades' case. She definitely has something to do with it."

"You think so?"

Natsu nodded. "I'm certain about it. She even told me that she was looking for information."

"Erza would definitely kill you if she knew that you saw her again without arresting her," said Gray.

"But she didn't kill Jose," protested Natsu. "The bullet matched the one we found in Aguria's body! It's definitely one of Hades' men who did it. I wouldn't be surprised if he were the one who sent someone to murder Jose."

Gray nodded, reaching for a file on his own desk and flipping through it. "Poor girl. Talk about wrong place, wrong time."

"How many other girls are we going to find until that bastard is behind bars?" growled Natsu.

Gray trailed his fingers down the page his eyes were skimming over. "Do you think the blonde one is one of his girls?"

Natsu shook his head. "No, I don't think so. She has money, she doesn't need to work for him."

"It could be to keep up appearances. You know that he likes to dress them up fancily to hide their real jobs."

"That's true, but I am sure she isn't one of them. She was a virgin," he admitted.

Gray's eyes widened, and he looked up from the file on his lap. "That woman, a virgin? You must be kidding me."

"I was as surprised as you are," said Natsu. "That's why I'm saying that she doesn't work for him. She can't be one of his prostitutes."

"So she was a virgin, and she has money you say," muttered Gay. "Maybe she's a rich heiress. That narrows it down to less than one percent of Magnolia's population. It shouldn't be too hard to find out who she is."

Natsu looked at him with surprise. "What? Why?"

"Don't you want to know whose cherry you popped?" mused Gray.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Then we should get into it. If she's looking into Hades, we should start looking into his rich associates. She could even help us with the case and lead us to him. She seems to be at par with us."

Natsu sighed, leaning back on his chair and extending a hand towards Gray. "Alright, give me one of the files."

-: :-

Natsu sighed in annoyance, carelessly throwing the file he was holding on top of the other ones he had already read. "Nothing! All of this is useless! I can't find shit, even the electronic database got nothing. I can't find that woman anywhere!"

"You should have gotten her name at least," said Gray.

Natsu glared at him. "Do you think I haven't tried? She refused to reveal anything about herself!"

Gray stretched his arms above his head, staring at the pile of files he had gone through. "Maybe we're not looking deep enough. She might be hiding somewhere in those files for all we know. We could have missed a name."

Natsu rubbed his tired eyes. "No woman has never tired me this much in my life," he muttered.

"Not even Lisanna?" laughed Gray.

"Definitely not Lisanna. Everything was pretty smooth with her."

"That's true," nodded Gray. "So what do we do now?"

Natsu thought for a moment. "We could look into Hades' past. Maybe one of his earlier friends or associates could lead us to her."

"No," Gray shook his head. "Everyone in this office had gone through his file at least ten times. Plus, I don't think tackling him directly is the solution."

"Do you have a better idea then?" asked Natsu.

Gray smiled. "As a matter of fact, I actually do. The online database only dates back to 2009, and these files were printed from it and don't hold much information. We could look into older cases."

Natsu shuddered in disgust. "You mean the ones in the room? There's tons of them! We'll never be able to finish reading them all!"

"Not when we know what we're looking for. I doubt there are that many relating to rich heiresses."

Natsu pondered for a moment, looking at Gray with well-hidden admiration. Natsu was a man of action, and so was Gray. But he would sometimes surprise Natsu with specks of genius. Not that the pink-haired man would ever admit it.

"That's actually very logical," he muttered, standing up from his chair. "I'll take care of it."

-: :-

"Yo, metal-face! I have a favour to ask from you!" shouted Natsu, his head peeking from his office.

Gajeel looked up from the screen of his computer. "What do you want? It better be quick."

"I need you to get us something from the room," said Natsu.

Gajeel scowled. "Why don't you go yourself?"

"Well," started Natsu, leaning against the door, "Erza put us on report-duty, and if she sees me outside of the office, she'll know that we're not following her order. I just need you to make a quick trip to the room."

Gajeel snickered, going back to whatever he was doing. "That's your problem. Serves you right for skipping paper-duty. I'm not doing shit for you."

"Come on," whined Natsu. "I really need this, it's urgent!"

Gajeel kept ignoring him, preferring to stare at his screen. Natsu huffed in annoyance, and looked around the office. When he didn't see the familiar red hair of his boss, he walked towards Gajeel, and leaned against his desk. "Come on Gajeel, I know you want to go there. I'm giving you the perfect excuse to see Levy."

Gajeel's eyes widened, and his usually stoic face reddened. "W-what? Why would I want to see shrimp?"

"Cause' you like her, obviously," shrugged Natsu. "So what do you say?"

The other man growled, annoyed by Natsu's persistence, before sighing in defeat. "Fine, I'll do it. But not because I want to see her!"

"Whatever you say," laughed Natsu in triumph. "Ask her to fetch us all the cases about the richest individuals in Magnolia dating back to the last twenty years."

"Why do you need those? Aren't you supposed to be working on Hades' case?" asked Gajeel, watching the pink haired man walk back to his office.

"Oh, it has everything to do with the case," shouted Natsu with a laugh.

"That imbecile," muttered Gajeel, getting up from his chair. "As if I liked shrimp. The audacity!"

-: :-

"What do you think she needs from Hades?"

"Beats me," answered Natsu. "I don't even know her name and you're asking me about her motives?"

Gray thought for a second. "Fair point. But maybe it's something so obvious that it's right under our noses."

Natsu stuffed another file in the box he had just gone through. "Why are you so determined to know who she is anyway? I should be the one to insist on finding her, not you."

Gray laughed. "You're right. Why didn't you start looking for her name before? Is it that you like the mystery behind your little encounters? It must be hot to fuck an anonymous criminal."

Natsu reddened, grabbing another file to hide his face behind the documents. "Shut up, it has nothing to do with that. We don't even know if she were a criminal or not. Maybe she's some sort of vigilante or something."

"Like batman?"

"Sure, why not?" shrugged Natsu with amusement.

"I don't recall him fucking a cop in a dirty bathroom-"

"Gray?"

"What?"

"Shut the fuck up, please."

Gray laughed, and they both went back to their reading. All that could be heard in the small office were the sounds of pages turning, and chairs squeaking with their occupants' shifting.

"Maybe she knew one of the prostitutes recruited by Hades. She could be some sort of vengeful angel for them," finally spoke Gray.

"I wouldn't blame her. What kind of sick man kills innocent girls for wanting to escape that sort of life?" asked Natsu.

"The devil himself," joked Gray, albeit a bit humorlessly. There was nothing fun about the killings of women wanting a better life.

"I don't get it," said Natsu, looking at him quizzically.

Gray deadpanned, giving his partner a glare. "Hades? God of the underworld in Greek mythology, get it?"

"Nope."

"You are an uncultured swine. Have you ever even picked up a book?" inquired Gray.

"I don't need to, all these reports are enough readings to last me ten lifetimes," responded Natsu, looking at the boxes they still had to go through with disgust.

Gray rolled his eyes. "Stop complaining, you're the one to blame for this. If you had just arrested her, we wouldn't have to do this," he told him. "But then again, you wouldn't have lost your virginity either-"

"For fuck's sake," moaned Natsu. "Why do you keep saying that? Are you trying to hide that you're the virgin here?"

"You wish," huffed Gray. "Did you find anything yet?"

"Nope. Not one blonde girl."

"Me neither," sighed the dark-haired man. "Not one blonde women in my files. Not alive anyway."

Natsu perked up. "What do you mean?"

"There's this blonde woman who had been killed, but they never found out who did it. But it was more than fifteen years ago, I doubt it's your mystery lady," he smiled.

"Let me look at it, it could still help us," said Natsu.

"Sure."

Gray looked through the files he had rummaged through, and picked up one of them, opening it to look inside and make sure it was the right one. He tossed it at Natsu, who easily caught it in his hands, and opened it lazily. His eyes scanned the pages, reading the summary of the case, before he turned the page. When his eyes fell on the picture of the woman, they widened in surprise, and he looked up at Gray with his mouth open.

"Holy shit, that's her."

"What?" exclaimed Gray.

"That's exactly her face! You've seen her before, don't you remember?"

"I wasn't exactly looking at her face," muttered Gray, receiving a glare from Natsu at his perversion. "Either way, that's not possible! She died ages ago, and there's even pictures of her mangled body!"

Natsu looked down again, his eyes looking at the pictures taken at the crime scene, and he grimaced in disgust. The pictures showed what would have been a nice and fancy living room, if it weren't for the bloodied body lying on the ground at the foot of the sofa. A blonde woman was sprawled on her back, her eyes wide open in shock, and her mouth agape. Her white nightdress was stained with blood, and was hiked up her legs, showing deep gashes on her thighs. The cause of death was written in the document, being a bullet to the head, and Natsu realized that the grey mess on her blonde hair was brain matter. The next picture showed a close up of the bullet wound on her temple that he couldn't see in the first picture, and he almost gagged when he saw that a big part of the side of her head had been blown away by the bullet.

"Damn," he muttered, horrified. "I've seen some pretty fucked up stuff on the job, but this one is definitely up there."

"Worse than that body cut in half?"

"Definitely worse. At least the cut had been clean. This one here is messy and plain sadistic. There's other wounds on this woman's legs, and there's others shown in the pictures of the autopsy. The killer took his sweet time with her," he noted, reading the autopsy report.

"I haven't even looked at the rest. I closed it immediately when I saw the first picture," said Gray.

Natsu gave him a pointed look. "You probably missed something important."

"Come on," whined Gray as Natsu avidly read the file. "You saw the pictures, it can't be her! It's just a coincidence, there's apparently seven people who look just like you in the world. It could be just due to chance-"

"There!" shouted Natsu in triumph, getting up from his seat to shove the file in Gray's face. "Do you see this? They found a kid on the crime scene! A little seven year old girl! Today, that would make her our age! I bet you everything I have that it's her!"

Gray grabbed the file from his hands, reading it with his mouth open. "Well, damn. You might actually be right. She left a daughter behind."

Natsu left Gray's side, and enthusiastically sat back on his chair, typing furiously on his computer. "Let's look up what happened to her then. What was that woman's name again?"

"Layla Heartfilia," read Gray.

"Layla Heartfilia," repeated Natsu, typing the name and pressing enter. When the page loaded, nothing came up and Natsu groaned. "There's nothing about her, everything about her murder is in that file."

"Look her up online. Since she was a rich heiress, some tabloids probably wrote about her death," suggested Gray.

Natsu followed his partner's advice, and looked up the deceased woman online. A few articles showed up, and started going through them.

" _Wife of Heartflia Konzen owner Jude Heartfilia found dead in their mansion_ ," he read out loud. " _The injuries lead the police to believe that it was a murder-_ okay, this is all the same basic stuff. There's nothing about her daughter in this article. Why is it so hard? _"_ he groaned. "It's like her existence had been deleted from every database!"

Gray tossed the file on the ground and got up, annoyed at his partner's complaints, and stood behind him to look at the screen. "Of course they're not going to leave her name in the file, she was a kid," he said, taking the mouse from Natsu's hand. "You have to be smart about this."

Gray started scrolling through the articles, when something caught his attention in the related articles on the side of the page. "Wait, look at this. The company went bankrupt a few years ago, that explains why I had never heard of them."

"Why does that woman have so much money if it's the case?" asked Natsu.

"Maybe she doesn't," suggested Gray. "Just because she dressed nicely doesn't mean that she's rich."

"She didn't deny it," mumbled Natsu.

"So if the company went bankrupt, what happened to her and to her father?" wondered Gray aloud, reading the article. "Holy shit, look at this."

Gray moved his head from the screen, allowing Natsu to take a look at what was written on it. "He killed himself?"

"Yeah," mumbled Gray. "He apparently did when he started losing money. His debts were payed off with his mansion and companies after he took his own life."

"I don't get it," said Natsu. "Why would he do that and leave his daughter behind?"

"I don't know," replied Gray. "There's still nothing about her in these articles. It's like she disappeared after her mother's death."

"At least we know who her parents are, and her last name," said Natsu.

"So what do we do from here?" asked Gray.

"We keep looking, maybe we'll-"

"Here, boys," said a voice behind them. They turned around and saw Levy at the door, carrying another box filled with files. "I found more files for you. I still don't know why you need so many."

"For a case, but it's classified. We can't tell you since you're not an agent, Levy," teased Natsu.

"Tell that to the person who files all your cases," scoffed the petite woman, walking towards them and setting the box on the ground. "So, what's this all about?"

"It's about a wo-" started Gray, before stopping in his tracks when he noticed the glare Natsu gave him, and he suddenly remembered his threat. "About Hades. Yeah, we're looking into his rich associates."

Levy gave them a doubtful look, but nonetheless shrugged it off. "Okay then, agents. I'll leave you to it."

"Say hello to Gajeel on your way back, make the man happy," snickered Natsu.

He could see Levy's cheeks redden. "Why would I do that?" she squeaked out. "I don't care about what makes that ruthless man happy!"

"Sure you don't," mumbled Gray, sharing a knowing look with his partner.

"Whatever," she mumbled, walking back to the door. Her eyes looked at the files scattered in the office with disdain, dreading the fact that she would have to organize them all over again before putting them back on the racks of the room. She was about to exit the room, when an open document on the ground caught her attention. She bent down, grabbing it in her hands, and looked at the picture, her eyes widening in recognition.

"Oh my God, Lucy?"

 


	5. Part V

"So, what do you say?"

The man sitting in front of her placed his chin on top of his hands, his arms outstretched on the table to support his head, and looked at the picture in front of him in wonder.

"I told you last time, we don't do that kind of stuff here."

She laughed humorlessly. "You think I believed you?" she said. "I know what goes on behind closed doors, and I'm offering something you can't refuse. I'm even willing to raise up the offer from ten to twelve," she smiled, adding another picture on the table with two new women on them. 

"With all due respect, lady, you're delusional. This is a club, not a whorehouse like you seem to think."

She smiled at him, and reached into the folder she had placed on the table, taking a picture out that she placed on top of the other ones. "Sorano Aguria, nicknamed Angel. I heard that you guys... _lost_ her due to unfortunate circumstances."

The man stared at the picture in disbelief, before quickly masking his face and looking at the blonde woman sitting in front of him, wondering who she really was. "I have never seen that woman before in my life."

Her smile simply got wider, and she took another picture from her folder. "This is her two days before her death, in front of this same club," she said, and Cobra visibly gulped. She took another picture, and placed it on top of the other one. "And this is her younger sister, Yukino Aguria, days after she escaped."

The man looked at the picture, astonished and angry, his hand twitching on the table, and she smiled pleasantly at him. "I know where she is, and I can bring her to you, and before she goes to the police. In that case, you can say goodbye to your little operation." 

He thought for a moment, before speaking up again. "Why should I believe what you're telling me?"

She bent over the table, bringing her face closer to Cobra's, and continued speaking, ignoring his words. "After losing two of your precious ladies, you have a shortage of French women. I have twelve to offer you for the price of eight, coming straight up from there, ages fifteen to twenty-eight."

He sighed in defeat, running a finger over Yukino's picture. "You're right, that's an offer I can't refuse, but I would have to see them in the flesh first."

"That can be arranged."

"Would you be part of the merchandise?" he smiled, his eyes trailing down her body, and she had to stop herself from shuddering in disgust.

"Unfortunately not, Cobra," she tried to smile back. "I'm only their agent. Besides, I'm not French." _Not pure French anyway._

"You would still be quite the new addition to our little group, with that body of yours," he smiled at her.

"I only have those ladies to offer. They're great, beautiful ladies, and they will bring you a little fortune," she told him.

"Then it's done," he said firmly, extending a hand towards her. "Bring them two nights from now, we're having a little sale with regular customers. We'll see how they do with them."

She took his hand in hers, and shook it. "That works for me."

She started picking up the pictures, and when she was about to put the ones with her ladies in her folder, he stopped her by taking them from her hands. "I'm going to keep these for... _comparison_ purposes."

She smiled at him, and nodded. "Of course." _Have fun jacking-off to those ladies._

She got up, leaving the room, and nodded to Kain who stood by the door, his eyes watching the dancers on the floor.

"Oh, and miss?" shouted the man she left behind. She stopped walking, and turned around to stare at him. "Don't bail on us, it would end very badly for you."

She took note of his cruel smile, and returned it. "I wouldn't dream of it."

-: :-

"Oh God," she gasped out, looking at the crime scene's pictures. "This is terrible, poor Lu."

"So, you knew that woman?" asked Gray.

"Yeah-I mean, no, not exactly," responded Levy, her eyes still glued to the pictures. "I knew her daughter. She used to be my best friend in high school. She had told me that her mother had died, but I never thought that she had been murdered."

Natsu's face lit up like a kid's on Christmas, and he quickly got up, bolting towards Levy to grab her shoulders and look into her face. "You're a blessing Levy, please tell us more!"

She looked at him with surprise. "Why are you looking into her? She wasn't even living here. She had been out of Magnolia for years when I had met her."

"Was?"

Levy looked down at the picture of the smiling woman on the first page of the file. "Is, or was, I honestly don't know. She disappeared one day, and I haven't heard from her since then. I have no idea whether she's alive or not."

"How did you meet her?" asked Gray.

"I met her when I was doing the exchange program in high-school. I went to live in France for a few years to learn French as well as other languages. Lucy was the only person who spoke English at the time in my class, and we quickly became friends," explained Levy, a nostalgic smile on her face.

"For a rich heiress, I thought that she would live with her father," he said.

Levy looked at him with surprise. "What? Heiress? Lucy wasn't an heiress, not at all!"

Natsu grabbed the file from her hand, and showed her the name of the woman. "Look, her mother was Lucy Hearfilia, Jude Heartfilia's wife. They used to be loaded. Didn't she ever tell you that?"

Levy furrowed her eyebrows. "Her last name wasn't Heartiflia. It was Céleste, and she used to live with a guardian, not her father."

Gray and Natsu looked at each other with surprise under Levy's scrutinizing eyes. Either the Heartiflias weren't her parents, or she had changed her last name for some reason. But the resemblance between her and the murdered woman was uncanny, and the first option had to be rejected.

"What else did you know about her?" pressed Natsu.

"Well," started Levy, "I hadn't known her for a very long time. Only three years. She told me that she knew English because she had lived here up until her mother died. She mentioned that she didn't like talking about her father, so I never asked her about him."

"What about the day she disappeared? What happened that day?" asked Gray.

Levy's shoulders suddenly slumped down, and she her eyes saddened. "Lucy used to dream of being a writer, but she was really shy about showing her work. She was even writing a book at the time, but she had refused to let me read it until it was done. That day, there was this writing competition at our town involving many schools around the country, and since it was in English, I convinced her to participate in it to show her work. You guys don't know this, but she was a great writer. She put all her heart into it, and I knew that she would go far. "

Natsu looked at Levy with wonder, pondering on her explanation. He had some trouble believing that that blonde woman wanted to be a writer. She looked like she was more of a woman of action as far as he had seen, but she seemed to have many layers that he had yet to peel off.

"Lucy was super excited to participate once she was done with her story," continued Levy, staring at Layla's file and fingering the picture of the smiling woman. "She had bombarded me with texts all morning after she woke up, rambling about it, and voicing her anxiety. But at one point, the texts had suddenly stopped."

Levy's gaze had suddenly gotten sad and angry, as she closed the file and put it in one of the boxes to take a deep breath.

"I thought it was only because she was getting ready, or because she was talking to her guardian. But when I got to school, she wasn't there. She wasn't there for class, nor was she there for the competition after school. I went and sat down, thinking that she would arrive, but she didn't answer any text or call. I left the auditorium to go look for her, and ran all the way to her house to see what was wrong. I thought that maybe she gave up because she was shy or embarrassed about her story, but unfortunately, I was very wrong."

Natsu watched the petite woman as she started fidgeting and getting upset. The memories must have been very painful for her, and her friendship with Lucy must have been very dear and important.

"I knocked on the front door, but no one answered, and the door was open. When I went in, everything was the same, nothing had changed, except that they were nowhere. It's like they just left the house on a whim without looking back. Even her guardian disappeared with her."

"And that was the last time you'd ever seen her?" asked Natsu.

"Yes," replied Levy, passing a hand through her hair. "I haven't seen her since. Are you guys going to tell me why you're looking into her?"

Gray and Natsu looked at each other, before the dark-haired man nodded at his partner, and Natsu turned around to look at Levy. "We think that the murder of her mother and the suicide of her father have something to do with Hades."

Levy raised an eyebrow. "How? You think that he killed her mother?"

"It's a possibility," nodded Gray.

"I don't understand how you came to that conclusion," added Levy, picking up Layla's document. "It says here that they didn't find anything on the crime scene, and her father's demise was ruled as suicide. Besides, it's been years since all of this happened, why would you dig this out now?"

Natsu swallowed the lump in his throat, wondering how he would break the news to the petite woman about her friend being alive and running.

"Levy," hesitated Natsu. "I don't know how to tell you this, but your friend –Lucy-, she's not dead. We've seen her, she's here in Magnolia."

He heard Levy's sharp intake of breath. "You mean that she left France to come back to live here?"

"I don't know about that," added Gray. "But I've seen her once, and Natsu had seen her a few times in places where we were investigating Hades. She's looking into him for some reason, and that's why we think that it might have to do with the murder of her mother."

They could both see the turmoil Levy was feeling in her eyes, and in the way she was clenching her fists. Her jaw was set in a straight line, and her brows were furrowed. She was feeling betrayed by her friend that she thought would never leave her, and whose promises of always being together had been thrown away. She was in Magnolia, and she hadn't even gone to speak to her, and tell her that she was at least alive.

"If-if it has to do with the case," started Levy, her voice quavering, "then I should tell you something about her."

That seemed to catch their attention, as they sat still and looked at her with intimidating intensity.

"After I hadn't heard from her in almost a year, I went home one day after school, and I found something in the mail. You know how she wanted to be a writer?"

The two nodded, and Levy took a deep breath. "Well, at that point, I knew that she was alive, because I received her unfinished book."

"So that means that she hadn't been taken by anyone that day if she had the time to take her book with her," said Gray. "If you're asking me, I think that she was on the run from something if she suddenly decided to leave everything behind."

"But Lu was the sweetest girl ever," muttered Levy. "I can't fathom how she would have been involved with criminals, let alone look for the most dangerous one we know."

"She's not all that she seems to be," replied Natsu. "She's obviously very different from the girl you knew back then."

He heard Gray chuckle, and gave him a cold stare, resulting in his partner smiling smugly at him.

"Obviously very different," said Gray, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back on his chair.

The words seemed to sadden Levy, who bit her lower lip, a faraway look in her eyes. She seemed to care deeply for Lucy, despite the fact that she hadn't seen her since she turned seventeen, and Natsu found himself thinking that that blonde woman obviously left a long-lasting impression on everyone she came across in her life.

"Hey Levy," he said, suddenly remembering something. "What about the person who lived with her? Can you tell us something about her? Maybe it'll help us."

"Sure," she replied. "I didn't see her often when I went to Lucy's, since she worked a lot, but I remember her being quite the strict woman. Although Lucy seemed very fond of her."

"What was her name?" inquired Gray.

"Aquarius," said Levy after a few seconds. "I think that was her name. She told me that she was a friend of her late mother."

Natsu furrowed his eyebrows; a lot of things were starting to make sense. If Aquarius were a friend of her mother, she was probably contacted after Layla's death. If her father were willing to separate himself from his daughter for such an extended period of time, that must mean that Lucy was in great danger. But it still didn't explain why he would end his own life.

"Levy, you really are a blessing," he told her with a big smile. "You've brought us great enlightenment."

She sighed, obviously exhausted from their conversation. "I just hope you guys are right, and that it's really Lucy that you've seen. I hope that you will be able to help her. The Lucy I knew is not a bad person, there must be a good reason for whatever she is doing."

After seeing the blonde woman cry on his shoulder, Natsu truly believed that something was eating at her from the inside. That woman had motives close to her heart, and if she were willing to put her life on the line to go after someone as dangerous as Hades, that meant that she probably had nothing to lose at this point.

"We'll try our best," replied Natsu somberly, a determined look on his face.

She smiled widely at him. "Thank-"

"Oi shrimp," bellowed Gajeel's voice behind her. "You've been here for ages, what's up with that?"

"What are you, her bodyguard?" sneered Gray. "Are you keeping tracks on her? That's pretty creepy if you ask me."

"Shut up," growled Gajeel, glaring at him. "My desk is right in front of you idiots' office, of course I would see her come in. So what's the deal with-"

Gajeel's eyes widened and he stopped talking when he noticed Levy's teary eyes, and her shaken frame. He took two steps, and was instantly in front of her, holding her shoulders and staring into her eyes under Natsu's and Gray's astonished expressions.

"Are you okay, Levy? What happened?" he asked, slightly panicky, before looking at the other occupants of the room angrily. "What did you two do to her?"

"Nothing!" exclaimed Natsu. "What the hell makes you think we would do something that would make her sad? We were just talking!"

"Yeah right," sneered the pierced man. "You pieces of shit-"

"Gajeel," whispered the small woman he was still holding, and his face turned to stare at her. "They didn't do anything to me. We were just talking about something that brought back old memories, it's nothing bad."

She smiled up at him reassuringly, and his gaze instantly softened, as they stared into each other's eyes. It was a few seconds before a cough brought them out of their daze, as they had completely forgotten than an uncomfortable Gray and a smug Natsu were also in the room with them.

"Mira would have had a field day is she had seen the little exchange we just witnessed," said Gray. "If that weren't uncomfortably mushy, I don't know what it was."

The two subjects blushed to the roots of their hair, Gajeel letting go of the blue-haired woman, and looking sideways while running a hand in his long black hair. Levy stared down at her shoes in embarrassment, fiddling with her fingers, and sending a sideways glance to the tall man.

"Shut you trap, you emotionally-constipated man," grumbled Gajeel, walking out of the office. "You better go back to work, before Erza catches you slacking off."

"Touchy, aren't you?" commented Natsu. He always teased and fought Gray, but when it came to Gajeel, the two of them were a team determined to embarrass him as much as they could.

The man simply gave them the middle finger, and kept walking out, until they could hear him noisily sit back in front of his desk, his chair squeaking under his impressive form.

"You shouldn't tease him so much," reprimanded Levy. "Leave the poor man alone!"

"Come on," whined Natsu. "It's all in good fun. Metal-face can take it."

She rolled her eyes, a small smile playing at her lips, and Natsu was glad to see her back to being herself. "Whatever. Good luck with the case, and if you need to know anything else about Lucy, you can hit me up anytime."

"We'll do," replied Gray, smiling at her with gratitude, before she made her way out of the office.

"Oh, and Levy?" Natsu called back before she disappeared, and she stopped in her track, turning her head around and raising an eyebrow. "Do you think that I could borrow that unfinished book of hers?"

Levy nodded, before her eyes turned serious. "I'll give it to you, but you better take care of it. If it's mangled in any way, I will rip your head off!"

He gulped noticeably, knowing that she would probably do it. "Will do, ma'am."

She smiled and exited the room, and Natsu turned back to stare at his screen, deep in thought. When he had finally thought that he would elucidate the mystery behind that heiress, Levy managed to drop many bombs on them that complicated things even further.

He had managed to figure out that she was running away from something, and that something was probably related to Hades. So why would she go back to her natal city, where his base of operations was, and where it would be ten times easier for whatever she seemed to have run away from to get to her? And why exactly had her mother been murdered, and by whom? That was without forgetting the fact that her father killed himself as soon as his companies started losing money instead of making profit. All of this was giving him a headache, but he was determined to find the much needed answers if it would help him put the man behind bars, and he was convinced that she would somehow help them with that.

"You know," said the man next to him, "you finally manage to get involved with a woman, and it just had to be someone more complicated than the cases we work on."

"Trust me, this is all a lot to take in for me as well," muttered Natsu.

"I don't think we'll find out anything more in these boxes, we should probably pick everything up and return them to Levy."

"Ugh," moaned Natsu, putting his forehead on his desk. "Can't we just leave them for now? We can pick them up tomorrow. The day's almost over anyway."

Gray patted him on the back, getting up from his seat. "Do you really want Erza to know that we weren't filing our reports?"

That seemed to convince Natsu, who suddenly sprung to life and hurriedly got up from his chair, instantly picking up the few cases around him. "Absolutely not, let's get to work."

"We still have to talk to Erza about our findings," said Gray. "We can't just go after this Lucy chick without letting her know, she's our superior after all."

"How about we tell her if we see Lucy again?" suggested Natsu. "It's not worth getting Erza worried about if she stops getting involved with Hades."

"Good point," replied Gray. "Now let's finish this before she comes back."

Erza still reprimanded them at the end of the day, after only two barely finished reports found their way on her desk.

-: :-

A blonde-haired woman walked towards the shady club, her heels clicking on the ground, shivering from the cold hitting her bare legs. A big smile was stretched on her face, and her brown orbs were glinting mischievously.

She stopped on her way, leaning against a tree to grab her hair and put it in a bun. She checked the gun at her side, and made sure that she had enough bullets in case she needed them. She adjusted her black gloves, and sighed to herself, looking up at the sky. The sun was setting, and darkness would soon fall upon Magnolia's streets, and that's when the club would start to fill up.

Grimoire Heart had caught her attention when she had heard the rumours about the prostitution going on there. Stumbling upon a battered and crying Yukino had been purely due to chance, and seeing the sadness in her eyes had only convinced her to stop it once and for all. It wasn't very hard to obtain the information she needed concerning the prostitution ring from the white-haired woman, and concerning the club being one of the bases used for the sex-trade where she used to work behind closed doors.

She sat down under the shade of the tree, hidden from whomever might pass through, and observed as the sun set and as more and more people entered the club. She recognized many highly placed individuals going inside, and huffed in disgust. Having money really got you anything you wanted, even young, fresh women. Most of these men being old, bald, and married, they were probably bored and looking for adventure of some sort, even if it meant ruining many innocent young women's lives.

She smiled when she noticed that there were more guards outside than usual, proof of the activities that would go on that night. It was the perfect opportunity to search for what she was looking for.

After a while, the boredom made her take a cigarette out of a pack that she always kept on her, and she lit it, bringing it to her lips to take a long puff. She didn't smoke often, but it sometimes helped calm her nerves.

When her wrist watch finally struck ten o'clock, she took out the burner phone in her pocket, and quickly dialed the number that would help her in her quest. Putting the phone to her ear, she only had to wait a few seconds before someone picked it up.

" _Hello, this is Magnolia's Federal Bureau of Investigation, how can I help you?"_

"Hello," she replied in a low voice to cover her natural pitch. "I have an interesting lead on Hades for you…"


	6. Part VI

Lucy crinkled her nose at the strong smell of sweat. She had never been particularly fond of crowded places in general, but clubs were a whole other level as they came with people humping each other and unleashing their hormones to whomever payed a small amount of attention to them.

 _I am such a hypocrite_ , she thought. She had done the exact same thing with the hot cop that she had met a few weeks ago. Really, it wasn't even her type to sleep with people she knew –the _very_ few people she knew-, let alone strangers. It wasn't like she had had the opportunity to do so anyway, nobody thought about that kind of stuff when they were on the run from the most dangerous criminal in the city.

The pink haired cop had honestly been a complete surprise. She never thought that she would get so enraptured with someone and end up giving herself to them in such a short time. But what could she say, she was a sucker for his innocent and grinning face. She just couldn't help toying with the great Salamander, but it seems like she had taken it too far, and ended up tangled with him in more ways than one. She was the one who had lost the game and given in to temptation.

 _Being denied physical and intimate contact for years did that to you_.

It had also turned out that the agent wasn't as much of a good boy as he should have been. What kind of cop slept with a suspect anyway?

She didn't regret it though, not one bit. He was good, and she had surprisingly enjoyed it for a first time. It had been a complete one eighty when he had turned from the smiling agent he was to the animal she had surrendered to _in a dirty bathroom_ of all things. She had expected their encounter to be a small make-out session, but his mouth had been so sinful when it licked at the planes of her skin, and the only thing she had wanted at that moment was to rip both their clothes off.

She was shaken out of her stupor when a body bumped into her, and she rubbed her eyes to wipe away the perverted thoughts that crept into her mind to focus on the mission. Unlike the other nights when she had visited the club, she was sporting more comfortable clothes that allowed her to move freely when things would go south. She knew that Cobra was expecting her to arrive with the merchandise he had been after, and the best option for her to be in the club was to get mingled with all the dancers. The dancefloor was so dark and full that she doubted anyone would notice her in the midst of the crazed youngsters.

She could see Kain standing by the door, watching the individuals passing by and glaring menacingly at them, and she laughed. In their few encounters, she had warmed up to him, and discovered that he was a huge teddy bear.

_Too bad he's working for the wrong people._

Lucy kept moving along the music, carefully watching the rich individuals enter the protected room, and half-wishing that Hades had been one of them. But he wasn't stupid, and neither was she. He wasn't her goal anyway. She hoped that she would never have to come across the man, and get on with her task as fast as she could, but she feared that they would have to come face to face if her efforts didn't come to fruition.

She smiled when she recognized some important individuals from the city, and almost laughed at what was waiting for them. The FBI would be there any second, and they would say goodbye to their freedom and to their reputation. She smiled to herself, and kept swinging her hips carefully, ready to spurt into action.

-: :-

"Okay, kids. I assume that we can cross Grimoire Heart from our list now," said Marakov in a strong voice, watching the agents sitting around the table.

"Yes," replied Erza. "We've taken turns watching the club and haven't found anything. Either they're being really careful, or there's truly nothing there."

"There's definitely some sort of illegal activity," cut her off Natsu, leaning back against his chair to stare at his superior. "I've mentioned that I've seen some important individuals meeting with the owner, but I'm not sure if it has to do with Hades' prostitution ring."

"If it does, we'll be lucky to catch them," muttered Gray. "They don't run the operation at the same place every time. That would be truly reckless of them."

"Grimoire Heart is pretty renown around anyway," said Gajeel. "It would be too risky to bring scantily dressed women there to flaunt for money."

"I see," murmured Marakov, writing the information given to him on the low board, and the agents had to bend down to see what he was scribbling. Marakov was a really short old man, and despite his height, he was the head of the whole department.

"We'll keep check from time to time on the club, but I'd like each and every one of you to pinpoint other key areas to watch in the meantime," he said after a while, stepping away from the board.

"What about Aguria?" asked Gray. "Should we keep watch on the place we found her?"

"She was found next to the mall, I doubt Hades would run his operation next to such a public place," answered Marakov. "The victim was dropped there after she was killed to throw us off. Did any of you find anything about her sister since the last sighting?"

There was general _no_ around the room, and Marakov sighed, sitting back on his chair.

"We have to find that girl. Something tells me that she's in danger if her sister was so ruthlessly murdered."

"She's probably still with them, they probably caught her," suggested Natsu.

"That's doubtful. If they had caught Yukino, she would have suffered the same fate without a doubt," replied Laxus in his rough voice.

A shudder passed through the agents' frames, and they shared a gloomy look, thinking back to the mangled body they had found lying behind a dumpster. Evidence showed that Sorano Aguria had been alive when she was tortured, and DNA tests revealed that the sticky mess they had found between her legs and on the rest of her naked body belonged to at least five different men. It had been a truly traumatizing sight to behold, and even one of the newbies had thrown up right after seeing the corpse.

"She's on the run then," concluded Erza.

"But she should have come to us," protested Gray. "Why would she stay out there? They have a lot of resources, and they can easily find her. There's nowhere to hide for her in Magnolia, Hades' men keep tabs on every corner of the city."

"Unless she's hiding with someone who knows how to evade Hades," suggested Gajeel.

Natsu and Gray looked at each other in realization, both thinking the same thing. If she were hiding with someone capable of such a thing, it would _definitely_ be Lucy.

It felt weird to know who the blonde woman was, and Natsu found the thought of knowing her name strangely intimate, more than his encounter with her at the club.

Yukino would definitely stay with her if they had crossed paths. The blonde woman had after all been looking into Hades for a few weeks as far as he knew, maybe even more. She clearly knew what she what doing, and Yukino would definitely be safe with her, at least for the meantime. Plus, they hadn't found her dead after being gang-raped in some dark alley, which would undoubtedly be her fate is she came across the man.

He shuddered at the thought, cursing himself for thinking in such a way. He probably wouldn't forgive himself if it had happened. He felt strangely attached to the mysterious woman, and knowing that he could have saved her simply by arresting her made him feel uneasy.

"Aguria might be the reason why Heartfilia knows where to look for Hades," muttered Gray in his ear as the others kept discussing the case.

"Do you think she kept her safe in exchange of information then?" asked Natsu in a low voice.

"It's possible. It could explain why Yukino disappeared from the radar," nodded Gray.

"You two are acting awfully friendly," asked Erza, looking at them suspiciously. "It's entirely out of character."

"Hey," protested Natsu. "You beat us up when we argue and you're unhappy when we're being civil, what do you want from us?"

He could see the vein in Erza's forehead pulsating, and he gulped noticeably. It was definitely the wrong thing to say to his superior.

"Do you want to suffer?" she said menacingly.

"No, sorry boss," he squeaked out, sinking further into his chair as Gray laughed next to him.

"The same goes for you," said Erza, glaring at the dark haired man, and he instantly stopped laughing.

"Geez, what's wrong with her today," muttered Natsu under his breath.

"She probably needs to get laid," suggested Gray. "Jellal's slacking off."

"Did you just mention my husband?" the red haired woman said, turning to look at them. It's like she had supernatural senses when it came to Jellal and cake. Nothing stood between her and her cake.

"Nope, you heard wrong," laughed Natsu uneasily.

Erza glared at him one last time, before turning her head to look at Marakov who kept talking about Hades. Erza had been in the force for a few years before Natsu and Gray had joined, being a few years older than them. She had been Jellal's childhood friend, before he had been framed, making it look like the CIA agent worked for Tartaros, a powerful mafia gang. Erza had hated him for it for a while, before discovering that it had all been a set up. She had then helped him and proved that he was innocent, later discovering that his own boss was the one working for the group, and had been the one who framed the young man.

"Alright everyone, it's almost ten. It's time to close off for the night," said Marakov, clapping his hands together.

"Finally," groaned out Natsu, standing up and stretching his arms above his head. "Thanks gramps. Your voice was starting to bore me."

"Get out kid, before I spank your disrespectful ass," said Marakov with a small smile playing at his lips.

"Will do," he replied, walking towards the exit. But before anyone could leave the room, Mira barged inside, an anxious expression on her face.

"We just received a call," she explained, trying to catch her breath. It seemed like she had run all the way from her desk to the reunion room. "There-there was a woman on the phone, and she said that she had a lead on Hades."

"What did she say?" asked Marakov in a demanding voice.

"She said that there's an event for the prostitution ring at Grimoire Heart, tonight," she revealed.

Everyone stared at each other with astonishment. The club was apparently not as safe as they had thought if the call turned out to be a real lead.

"I guess no one's going home yet," said Erza's. "Everyone, get ready, we can't pass this opportunity. We're going to check this out."

-: :-

Lucy smiled when she saw one of the guards running inside the club with an alarmed look on his face, and make his way towards Kain to whisper something in his ear. Kain's expression quickly turned sour, and he entered the room while the guard went back outside, a hand on the gun peeking out of his pants.

"Perfect," she muttered, following Kain discreetly, making her between the clueless dancers.

She peeked inside the room, and saw Cobra sitting at his desk and talking in the phone animatedly.

"-they're at the door, demanding to search the place-ah yes, yes of course." Pause. "I've sent Kain to hide your ladies and the clients downstairs, they should be out of the FBI's sight."

Lucy watched him as he listened intensely to whomever was speaking on the other line.

"I don't know why they've come here, we've been very careful, nothing out of the ordinary might have caused this- I, no we haven't seen the blonde lady yet."

His eyes narrowed and he let out a curse under his breath, immediately straightening his composure right after.

"We'll get her, sir."

He put down the phone, and walked stood up to walk to the curtain behind him. He pulled it open, and to Lucy's surprise, revealed a door that he opened and went through. She quickly made her way towards it to stop it before it could close, and noticed that there were dark stairs that lead to some sort of basement. She went downstairs, and found herself in a hallway with a door at the end of it that she went through. When she looked inside, she saw that there were sofas sitting around with tables and drinks barely consumed sitting on top.

"Probably where the rich gentlemen sit to make deals," she muttered, looking around the room for any sign of Cobra or his _ladies_.

She heard the unmistakable sound of a door opening from the hallway, and quickly hit behind the door, watching as Kain's impressive form emerged from a well-hidden door. The big man ran upstairs, and Lucy left her hiding place to go through the hidden door. It was almost part of the wall, and when she closed it behind her, she noticed that it was barely visible for someone who didn't know that it was there.

The door led to another hallway, this time littered with various doors, and she could hear hushed voices coming from the closed rooms. Lucy stayed put, hiding in the darkness the door provided her, and kept a hand on her gun in case anything happened. She walked against the wall, putting her ear against the first door she came across, and heard a low masculine growl coming from inside. Lucy knew that that was where the ladies would adhere to their activities with the clients.

The door to the hallway suddenly sprung open, and Lucy hurriedly opened the door she was leaning against to enter, interrupting the two occupants of the bed inside. A middle-aged man stared at the blonde woman with surprise, as the bare girl sitting on top of him kept moving, clearly unaware of Lucy's presence.

"Are they sending you for a threesome?" asked the man with excitement in his voice, holding the girl by the hips to stop her.

"Something like that," she muttered. The man's eyes trailed down her form appreciatively, and went wide when he noticed the gun at her side. He opened his mouth, alarmed, but she quickly drew the weapon out to point it at him.

"Scream and you're dead," she warned him. The brown haired girl on top of him, who looked barely of age, seemed to have realized that someone else was in the room, and hastily jumped off to hide under the covers in fear, leaving bare man lying down with his deflating penis slick with juices. Lucy grimaced at the sight, and eyed him with disgust.

"Look, I don't know who you are or what you want, but please don't kill me. I have money, I'll give you everything you want!" he pleaded, taking the covers from the girl and wrapping them around his body. The girl yelped, and jumped off to hide next to the bed.

"I don't want your money," she muttered, before a knock on the door interrupted her.

"Mr. Satome?" asked a voice that Lucy recognized as being Cobra's. Lucy quickly walked towards the door, and glared at the man on the bed menacingly.

"Say the wrong thing, and you can say goodbye to your dick," she whispered loud enough for him to hear.

He nodded, terrified of her. "Y-yes?"

"We're facing some trouble at the moment, and I would like to ask you to be as silent as possible until I tell you otherwise."

Lucy was listening intensely, and kept pointing her gun at Mr. Satome, noticing how he cowered under her threatening stare. Cobra seemed to be walking around from room to room to tell the occupants to keep silent while the agents upstairs were looking around the place.

"Will do," answered Mr. Satome, sinking further into the mattress. She could hear low sobs coming from the girl hiding behind the bed, and Lucy pitied the young girl for being dragged into such a lifestyle.

When she heard Cobra's footsteps getting farther away from the room, she shot the man another glare.

"Stay here, if you don't want me to follow through on my threat."

He hastily nodded, sweat forming on his forehead, and she silently opened the door, going out of the room. She could see Cobra's retreating back in the darkness of the hallway, and she sneaked behind him, putting a gloved hand on his mouth to prevent him from alerting the guards, and pinned his front against the wall.

"Don't move," she muttered, pressing the barrel of her gun against his back.

The man muttered something that she couldn't hear due to her hand muffling the sounds, and she turned him around, her hand still covering his mouth. His eyes widened, recognizing the blonde woman who had promised them much.

"Now, I'm going to remove my hand, and if you do something remotely suspicious, I won't hesitate to press the barrel," she muttered, searching him like she had done to the pink-haired agent.

Cobra swallowed nervously, cursing himself for not carrying a weapon on him. He left it hidden because he knew that if the FBI searched him and found it on him, they would find it suspicious, and definitely take him for questioning.

"Now," she started after she finished, "you're going to walk me through all the rooms as if I were another one of your clients. I want to see every woman in these rooms."

He nodded, silent, and she smiled in triumph, pushing him forwards with the gun pressed against his back. The man opened one of the doors, looking inside, and Lucy took a look over his shoulder. The occupants of the bed, this time two women and an old man, were being rather vigorous, not minding their visitors one bit.

"Let's keep going," she told him, retreating back as he closed the door.

"This would be easier if you told me what you were looking for," he commented.

"Shut up," she groaned out, pushing the gun further into his back. "Just follow the instructions if you want to get out of here alive."

The two of them went through the rooms, and Lucy saw things and parts of bodies that she had never thought she would see. When there was one last room, Cobra hesitantly opened it, and entered with Lucy behind him. Inside, there were a few women, around ten, sitting silently on the ground. They looked up when they heard the door open, and lowered their heads when they saw Cobra.

"These are the women that weren't requested for the night," he told her. Lucy looked at each one of them, sighing in discontent, and grimaced when she noticed that half of them looked young enough to be in high school.

"That'll be all," she told Cobra, pushing him forward inside towards the woman. She turned him around, and pushed him against the wall.

"You seem to be fond of seeing me in this position," he laughed nervously, and she huffed.

"Shut the fuck up," she said, and he instantly went silent.

Lucy looked around the room for something to tie him up with, wishing that he had handcuffs on him, and noticed that one of the women, who were looking at them with interest, had a pretty shawl around her neck. She smiled in triumph and gestured at her. The girl, dark haired and dolled up, widened her eyes and looked down in fear.

"Come closer," told her Lucy in a voice she hoped to be reassuring. "I just need the shawl around your neck."

Lucy smiled tentatively, and the girl nodded, unwrapping the shawl and crawling towards Lucy to hand it to her. Lucy thanked her, quickly wrapping the soft cloth around Cobra's wrists. When it was done, she roughly pushed him to the ground until he was sitting down.

"Now ladies," she told the girls, bending down to grab the keys dangling from Cobra's belt, "I want you to take care of him for a bit while I'm out there."

A few women hesitantly nodded, while the others stayed silent, and Lucy stood up to exit the room, leaving a scowling Cobra behind.

The corridor was empty, and devoid of the moaning and groaning she had heard when she had first stumbled upon it. She could also hear people talking outside of the door leading to the club, and she approaching to lean her ear against it, clutching her gun to her side.

"-nothing. There's just that room there, but it's completely empty," said a deep male voice.

"Have you guys found the owner?" asked a feminine voice.

"Big guy upstairs said that he's not here tonight. We asked him to call the boss but he doesn't answer the phone," replied the first man.

"Sounds suspicious. Do you think he knew that we'd be here?" said someone, and Lucy smiled when she recognized the voice of the pink haired agent.

"Either it's that or the call was a fake."

Lucy waited patiently as the woman –she was probably the boss of the whole operation- gave orders, and when she heard them leave, she quietly opened the door and peeked outside. The hallway was empty once again, and the agents had decided to leave the place. She smiled at the success of her plan. Calling the agents was a diversion for the guards to leave the place for her to explore, even though she ended up not finding what she came for.

She was about to exit and sneak out of the place unnoticed, when she bumped into a broad chest. Looking up, her eyes widened when she met the onyx orbs of her favourite agent, staring down at her with surprise. He seemed to be coming from the other room, the one with the sofas, and she hadn't noticed when he walked back.

She smiled at him, and grabbed his scarf to drag him inside the secret corridor, and closed the door to push him against it.

"I've never been a big fan of being pushed around, but being pressed against the wall has become one my favourite things now," he said. "I would say that I'm surprised to see you here, but this is actually the least surprising thing that has occurred for me in the last few weeks."

"I'm happy to see you as well," she winked.

"That's not the impression you gave at the end of our last encounter," he commented, his eyes darkening, and Lucy slightly gulped and how attractive the look was on him.

"I was in a mood," she replied. "Don't make me change my mind now and tie you up again."

They looked at each other in silence for a few seconds, before Natsu spoke. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you're the one who called the station."

"Bingo," she said, releasing him and walking backwards. "I thought that you guys needed my help, and I was obviously right. You wouldn't have found this place without me."

The agent looked around, suddenly aware of his surroundings, and furrowed his eyebrows. "What is this place anyway, and come we haven't seen it the first time we passed by?"

"It's some sort of hidden passage," she explained with a big smile. "I wouldn't have noticed it either if I wasn't hiding when big guy opened this door. Don't blame yourself, hotshot, I wouldn't have found it either if I used more _legal_ ways like you did."

He groaned, leaning his head against the wall with a low thud. "I wish you would drop the nickname."

"What would I call you then?" she asked, looking at him through her lashes, and leaning against his form.

"By my name," he breathed out. "Natsu, call me Natsu."

The warmth of her body suddenly left him, and Lucy stepped back from the agent, a troubled look on her face. She wasn't expecting him to reveal his name. She hadn't even attempted to look for it past the nickname he was known by –Salamander- of fear of getting too attached to the man. She had one mission, and she had already slipped by getting tangled with the handsome agent.

Natsu also seemed to have noticed her sudden stiffness, and looked at her face with worry. But before he could ask her what was wrong, her previous smug expression had returned.

"I hope you're not expecting a name from me now," she said.

"I don't need it," he replied under his breath. "So, would you mind telling me what's down there before my partners start looking for me? They're going to think that I got into trouble if they don't see my pink head amongst them," he said.

She simply smirked, turning her back to walk away from him. "Follow me, agent."

He could only comply, a bit ticked off that she wouldn't call him by his name, watching as she walked with a certain assurance that left him baffled. The swing of her hips left his mouth dry, and he couldn't help but lick his lips, fighting the desire to grab her and pin her against the wall.

She stopped at the end of the corridor in front of a door, and took out a bunch of keys she had in her pocket, reminding Natsu of how she had stolen the one for his handcuffs, and put it into the keyhole to open the door. She gestured for him to look inside, and he looked at her suspiciously. She had a tendency to get him stuck in certain places, and he didn't wish to get caught with his tail between his legs once again by his comrades. He nonetheless peeked inside, and smiled widely when he saw the women huddled against each other on the floor, a few meters away from a scowling man, his hands wrapped with what seemed to be a scarf of some sorts.

"See, agent, I did all the work for you. There's even the boss you guys were looking for," she smiled, winking at him.

"You are one brilliant woman," he muttered, and Lucy felt her a jolt in her heart that she immediately decided to ignore in favour of staring at his giddy face.

"Who the fuck are you? Are you working with that woman? I should have listened to boss, you're going to bring us down now," hissed Cobra, glaring daggers at them.

"You should maybe speak more respectfully if you don't want me to drag your ass to jail," sneered Natsu mockingly. "I guess this goes without saying," he started, walking towards him and taking his new set of handcuffs out of his pocket, "but Erza would have my ass in a sling if I don't follow protocol. So you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law-"

 _Hot damn_ , thought Lucy, watching him with undisguised desire. _I can only imagine him using that demanding voice in bed._

"-you have the right to have an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you- damn," he took a breath. "I wish I didn't have to say those Marley Rights every time."

"Miranda Rights," corrected him Lucy, leaning against the door to watch him with amusement.

"Whatever, I'm the cop here," he mused, as Cobra watched the exchange with astonishment. Natsu pushed him against the wall, and Cobra cursed them both for being fond of shoving people against vertical surfaces. It was probably some sort of weird fetish thing they had going on.

"Now, you're going to stay here while I escort the lady out, understood?" he commanded with a strong voice, and Cobra could only nod against the cold surface. "Good."

Natsu left the man behind and walked out with Lucy on his trail, looking at him questionably.

"Escort me?" she inquired. "I don't need that. I came here by myself, and I'll get out by myself, like the big girl I am."

He stopped walking. "Let's make a deal," he started, turning around to look at her. "I will let you go, but only if you tell me what you're looking for."

"I could always shoot you and walk away," she suggested, folding her arms against her chest.

"With what?" he smiled, taking something out of his vest to dangle it in front of a flabbergasted Lucy. "This gun? It seems like you're not in possession of it anymore."

" _Son of a bitch_ ," she groaned out, embarrassed at being so easily played out. It seemed like the tables had turned this time. She really shouldn't be surprised, the man was an FBI agent after all. All that training clearly didn't go to waste.

"So," he said, "how about you tell me why you're looking for Hades?"

Her shoulders slumped down, and she gave him a heated glare, weighing her options. She could either try to fight him and escape, but he was obviously physically stronger than her, and had her weapon. Without it, it would be harder to escape the guards surrounding the club. She could also let him arrest her, but that would put her plan on hold for an indefinite amount of time, so she only had the choice to comply with his request.

"Why don't you ask for my name instead? Wouldn't you like to know the name of the woman you fucked in the bathroom upstairs?" she taunted.

His eyes seemed to darken, and his smile stiffened up. "Why would I? You said it yourself, I don't need it, and it was a onetime thing," he replied, reciting back the words she told him after their heated encounter.

" _Vas te faire foutre_ ," she sneered out, indubitably angry.

"You already took care of that," he grinned with undisguised trepidation. "So what are you going to choose? We can't play this game anymore, I'm a cop after all. Give me a reason to let you go."

"Fine," she snapped out coldly, and he went silent, watching her intensely. "I'm not looking for Hades, in fact, I don't really care about him."

His eyes widened, and she replaced the animosity on her face with a wide grin when she saw his bewildered face.

"Surprised?" she chuckled. "I don't give two fucks about the man. I'm looking for someone else."

"And who might that be? Another one of his subordinates?" he asked.

She eyed him with amusement. "No, you're not even close. I'm actually looking for a woman taken by Hades' men. That's why I'm looking into his prostitution ring, and why I've come here to look at the event held tonight. I'm suspecting that he might have added her to his ladies."

"Is that why you have the youngest Aguria? To get information on the prostituted?" he demanded.

She furrowed her eyebrows at him, folding her arms underneath her ample chest. "How do you know that?"

"I'm an agent, darling, don't forget that. It's my job to figure things out," he grinned lopsidedly.

"Who's the one coming up with nicknames now?" she mused. "Can I have my gun back already? I need it to get out of here."

"Not before you tell me who's the woman you're looking for."

She huffed in frustration. "She was my guardian. There, happy now?"

"Very," he responded, clearly amused.

All traces of the hostility there was earlier between them was gone, leaving place for a more bearable and yet tense atmosphere. Natsu walked closer to her, handing her the gun she had been carrying, and she reached for it impatiently. But before she could grab it, he had removed it from her reach, and took hold of the same hips that had been testing his patience the whole night, pressing her flush against him and sealing his lips over hers. She stayed unmoving for a moment, before she melted into the kiss, responding with eagerness to the welcomed familiarity of his touch. Like everything he did, he kissed passionately, putting everything into the action, and making her forget where she stood.

It wasn't long before they both needed to breathe. Natsu leaned back, leaving scorching lips and heavy breaths behind as remnants of the kiss, and stared intensely into her eyes. Lucy, dazed from the embrace, felt something cold press against the palm of her hand, and she broke the eye contact between them to look at her hand.

"Your gun," he said, clearly proud of his performance.

"Uh-yeah, thanks," she mumbled.

"I think you should leave before my team comes down," he suggested.

"I should," she repeated dumbly, biting her lips and looking at the door leading to the club.

She gazed at him tentatively, and saw a hint of longing in his eyes that scared her. He had promised to figure her out, and Lucy was afraid that he had done more than that.

"I'm afraid that I'm going to have to report you to my unit now that you solved a big part of the case and gave it to us on a silver platter," he told her, smiling down at her. "You're going to have to be more careful from now on."

"Don't worry," she retorted. "I'm good at what I do. You should also check the other rooms, you might find some interesting things there."

With these words, she walked away from him, as he watched her leave like he had already done numerous times, his heart beating erratically from that one simple kiss. It seemed like being separated from her for long periods of time did that to him.

"Good luck with finding Aquarius," he called before she could exit through the door.

She turned around, and nodded at him as she left the place, not realizing what he had revealed. Natsu shook his head, and waited for a few moments for her to leave the dark basement before turning his earpiece on.

"Oi, Erza. The call wasn't a fake, you might want to come downstairs to see this…"


	7. Part VII

Lucy watched as the white haired girl ravenously devoured the plate in front of her, a small smile on her lips. They were both sitting at the table in the kitchen of the small apartment, curtesy of Lucy's dad's money providing it for her.

"It's always amusing to watch you eat," said the blonde woman, and Yukino blushed, no longer stuffing her face with food.

"I'm sorry," mumbled the girl, swallowing the food in her mouth. "I just missed eating good food, and I haven't eaten this in years. They also fed us very little, something about keeping us in shape for the clients. _En plus, c'est délicieux_!"

"It's okay, eat at your heart's content then."

Yukino shot her a grateful look, and went back to eating. In the few weeks she had been with Lucy, she had changed a lot, going from a very scared and paranoid young girl to a much livelier person. Even the smallest things made her happy, and Lucy realized that they probably didn't allow her to do much when she was part of the ring.

Today was a special day for both of them, as Lucy had to make a very important decision concerning the white haired woman. She had even made her favourite plate for her, a French recipe called _Hachis Parmentier_. Yukino had mentioned that when she was living with her sister in France, there was this little restaurant across the street to their little apartment where they used to get the best comfort food. The owner had been a close friend to them, and the specific plate had been Yukino's favourite food.

Lucy would lie if she said that she hadn't missed French food either. Her mother had had a great love for cooking, and because the woman was French, she used to make all those fancy plates they didn't have in Magnolia for a younger Lucy who greatly admired her mother's talent. Her father however was another story. He wasn't very accepting of his wife dirtying her hands in the kitchen, and always argued with her about it, saying that they didn't hire cooks in the mansion for nothing, and claiming that it was the _helps'_ duty.

" _Merci beaucoup pour la bouffe_ , this brings back so many memories," said Yukino, smiling into the now empty plate and snapping Lucy out of her reverie. "It was absolutely delicious. Where did you learn how to make it?"

"I did while I was in France when I was a teenager," explained Lucy, standing up to pick up the plates and placing them in the sink. She then turned around, and leaned against the counter to face the other occupant of the room. "My guardian was a terrible cook, and I had to learn how to make food. French cuisine is my favourite, it reminds me of my mother."

"It is quite delicious," nodded Yukino. "My sister was the one to make food for us, I didn't have time to learn before…you know."

Lucy's eyes darkened, and she stared at the suddenly gloomy woman with understanding. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Yukino hesitantly nodded, fiddling with her fingers. "It's nothing, really. It's just that I miss her, you know? Even if we were forced to do things against our will, Sorano had been a constant in my life that kept me grounded and sane. Even if I was being used by more men than I could count, she used to tell me that everything would be fine and that we would get out of there. Now she's gone, and I don't feel like myself without her being around. I just wish that she would have been able to taste freedom again like I did."

"She cared about you a lot, and I'm sure that she would be happy to know that you're safe," smiled Lucy reassuringly.

"She would," smiled the white haired woman. "She did everything for me, and now, she even d-died to make sure I was safe. When we were sneaking out of the club, they noticed we were missing way too soon. They cornered us in a park a few kilometers away from the club, and Sorano pushed me into the water before I could even protest. The last thing I saw was two men grabbing her, and then everything went black before I woke up here."

Lucy could see her eyes fill with tears, and felt her heart sink at the sight. The other woman was heartbroken about her sister's sacrifice, and Lucy wanted to comfort the girl, and tell her that everything would be fine, but that would be a lie. Yukino wouldn't be safe forever if she stayed with her, and Lucy feared the worst for the woman.

She simply walked towards her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, which resulted in the white haired woman giving her a thankful look.

"I know that she had wanted you to be safe and free," started Lucy, walking away to sit on the chair across from Yukino, "and I fear that it won't be the case for too long."

Yukino looked alarmed for a second, fear gracing her traits. "What do you mean? Is someone after us?"

"Possibly," admitted Lucy with a heavy sigh. "Remember the information you gave me about Grimoire Heart? Well I decided to follow up on it, and I went there to investigate-"

"You went to look for Aquarius?" she cut her off.

"Yes. I wanted to see if she was with that group of women. But I needed to know when they would bring them to that specific club since you told me that they changed the location very frequently. So I pretended I was a client who wanted to sell my women to the owner, and he revealed when the next sale would be."

"That was last week wasn't it?" asked Yukino. "When you were gone until morning?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I sneaked inside and found the group of women there. Aquarius unfortunately wasn't with them, but I managed to help the women I found by calling the police- well, the FBI to be precise."

Yukino beamed at the revelation, happy tears falling down her face, alarming Lucy who suddenly leaned against the table to reach for the other woman's hand.

"Are you okay Yukino? Is something wrong?" she inquired worriedly, clutching her hand in hers.

"No," she denied, wiping the moisture from her cheeks. "I'm just so glad that you did that for them, they deserve so much better."

Lucy sighed in relief, smiling bashfully. "I did what I thought was right. I admit that I initially did it to distract the guards, but when I saw the women, and how they were treated, I just had to get someone to help them."

"Most of them start really young, Sorano and I were," admitted Yukino. "Why is that a threat to our safety?"

"I heard the owner talking to someone on the phone, and he mentioned a "blonde woman", and I knew that he was talking about me," she explained. "Other people from their little operation know that I had promised them merchandise, and probably have an idea that I was the one behind what happened last week. I bet that they're looking for me right now, and I fear that they might find me sooner rather than later. It's not going to be pretty, especially considering the history I have with them."

Yukino looked at her in confusion. "What history?"

"Nothing for you to worry about," Lucy said, shrugging it off. "What's important here is that I need to get you to safety. I can't have you dragged into this again when you've just come out of it."

"Then…what's going to happen to me? Can't I just stay with you?" pleaded Yukino. "I can still help you!"

Lucy smiled softly. "I can't do that to you, you're not living the life you should be. This is not freedom, you would have to constantly look over your shoulder with me."

"Who's going to keep me safe if not you? Who's going to keep _you_ safe now?"

"I know who can help you," stated Lucy. "If there's a place where you can sleep without a worry, it would be under witness protection. I'm going to take you to the FBI, and they can help you as much as you can help them. As for me, I still have some things to do."

"But if they find you, you know what they will do to you," whispered Yukino.

"It's a risk I have to take. I won't be at peace until I find her," explained the blonde haired woman.

The white haired woman bit her lip, looking down in confliction. On one hand, she understood where Lucy was coming from. If Sorano had been alive, she would have gone after her as well, but at the same time, it was highly dangerous, and she was attached to the blonde woman who had saved her.

"I understand. _Juste_ … _fais attention_ ," she told her.

" _Je ferai de mon mieux_ ," smiled Lucy. "The same goes for you. If anything's wrong, go to the pink haired agent, you can trust him."

"You know him?" wondered Yukino. "Is he a friend of yours?"

Lucy was silent for a few moments, before she slowly acquiesced. "Something like that."

-: :-

Wearing sunglasses and hiding in the shadows, Lucy watched as Yukino made her way towards the towering building. She nodded slightly as Yukino turned her head to give her one last hesitant look, before she opened the door to the FBI headquarters and went inside. She knew that the white haired woman wouldn't make it far before she would be intercepted by an agent, so Lucy quickly walked back to her car before they would search the surroundings for her.

Salamander knew that Yukino was hiding with her, and would instantly know that she was the one who brought her there. She was a bit apprehensive about him now that he knew who she was. Back when he had said Aquarius' name, she had been too troubled to comprehend it, but while she was lying on her bed at night, she had jumped up in both horror and surprise upon realizing that he shouldn't have known that, unless he was aware of her real identity. She only hoped that he only knew her by her alias, Lucy Céleste, and not by her real name.

The drive back to her house wasn't long, a mere fifteen minutes during which she drove through the small streets to avoid traffic, and to avoid any cops watching the streets. She had bought the used car from a man that she had paid double the price to avoid the paperwork. It was already enough that she had to use a fake license to drive, she didn't want to bring more legalities into her already far too chaotic life.

She parked it next to the small building where her apartment was, and exited the car to walk towards her home. She lived on the second floor of the building, which she was thankful for because it helped when she had been injured and unable to climb too many stairs.

When she reached her door, she took out her key and put it in the keyhole, before suddenly freezing in her spot when she noticed something out of the ordinary; the small thread that she always put between the door and the door-frame was not there. She looked at her feet, and saw that it was on the ground, which was not normal. She always made sure to leave it there in case someone broke into her apartment. Her door was also locked, which meant what whoever had passed by was still inside her apartment.

She quickly drew out her gun, and placed it close to her ear before slowly turning the handle, silently sneaking inside, and locking the door behind her. Nothing seemed out of place in the dining room, and Lucy kept walking, entering the kitchen and looking around for any sign of the intruder. When everything was clear, she turned around, but was suddenly stopped when a hand covered her mouth, and an arm grabbed her around the waist.

Going into defense mode, she jabbed the intruder in the gut with her elbow, forcing them to release their hold on her waist, and she quickly removed the hand covering her mouth to turn around. The person was a tall man that she did not recognize, and who seemed menacing with the gun and the knife he held at his side.

When he was about to spring into action, she kicked him in the gut, pushing into the skin with her foot, and he stumbled back and hit the wall. The man clearly wasn't alone, because someone hit her in the back, and she fell into her kitchen table, noisily dragging it across the ground, and dropped her gun on the floor. She saw the man bring his fist down into her head from the corner of her eye, and she rolled on the table to avoid it. She quickly stood up, and punched him in the face, and he fell down. The other one reached behind her and grabbed her hair, putting an arm around her shoulders. She bit the skin of his forearm, making him cry out in pain, and pushed him backwards with her body until his head hit the metallic handle of the fridge, making him release the blonde woman. She turned around and grabbed his face, bringing his head forwards and then shoved it repeatedly into the handle until he lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

She smiled in triumph, before she heard the other man stand up. She looked on the ground for her gun, and noticed that it was on the other side of the table. Her eyes met the assailant's, and she realized that he had noticed her gaze fall upon the weapon. She hastily sprung forwards to reach it, running around the table, and jumped to grab it when a foot collided with her side, and she collapsed on the ground, groaning in pain and holding her side and praying that he hadn't broken anything.

Still on the floor, she slipped her legs underneath the man's, throwing him failing on the ground with a yelp, and stood up with difficulty due to the searing pain at her side. The man, who had caught himself before hitting the ground, faced her with a dark grin on his face, and grabbed the knife at his side. He lunged at her with the sharp end, and she quickly avoided it by tipping her upper body backwards, but he repeated the action as Lucy kept jumping back to avoid getting cut. Her leg hit something on the floor, and her attention shifted for a second to the object that she recognized as being her gun.

It was a grave mistake, because before she knew it, the knife in the man's hand found itself embedded deep into her shoulder. She cried in pain, stumbling backwards and away from the man who was still holding the weapon's handle, and it inched out of her body. Blood immediately started pouring out of the wound, sign of its deepness, and Lucy pressed on it with her hand to minimize the flow.

The man was watching her with a sickeningly proud grin, the blood trickling down from the knife in his hand.

"Looks like it's over for you, darling," he snickered.

She cast a glance at the floor, and saw her gun that she had previously kicked. It was too far from her, and she swore under her breath.

"Don't even think about it," he warned her, taking his own gun from the waistband of his trousers and pointing it at her. "Take another step and you're dead."

"What do you want?" she hissed out. "Do you want money? I don't have any money on me."

"Don't play dumb," he smiled, walking closer to her. "You know why we're here. Boss wasn't too pleased with losing some of his ladies and losing his favourite club. He wants to know who's the stupid lady who dared doing that to him."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she grunted, wincing at the pain.

"Where are the ladies you promised, by the way?" he asked, trailing a finger down her cheek. "Maybe he would spare your life if you gave them to us."

" _Fuck you_ ," she spat out, inching away from his hand.

"Maybe I'll do that," he grinned, his hand running down her neck, and stopping a centimeter from her breast. "Once boss is done with you, he'd be happy to give you away. We'll take turns fucking you in every single hole, we'll rip you apart and assault you like the dirty whore you are."

Lucy shivered in both disgust and fear, looking at him with wide eyes and undisguised fierceness. "Typical of pigs like you to be satisfied with the leftovers," she sneered.

His eyes suddenly darkened, his expression morphing into anger, and he grabbed her hair with his fist, roughly tipping her head backwards.

" _You bitch_ ," he bellowed. "You should be glad that I'm not beating you to a pulp right now. You're lucky boss likes them pretty, and that I can't damage that hot body of yours. But after he's done with you, I can do whatever I want to this pretty little face."

Lucy yanked her head forwards, groaning as a few hairs were ripped out of her scalp due to his grip on her strands, and hit him square in the forehead. He hissed in pain, releasing her, and Lucy kicked him between the legs. He doubled over, falling into ground in a mess of pitiful groans and moans, and Lucy jumped for her gun. She snatched it and turned around to point it at him, but he already had his pointing at her.

"Drop it, or I'll shoot you," he groaned out, clearly still in pain.

"Your boss wouldn't be happy if that happened," she snapped back.

"Casualties," he replied. "So what are you choosing?"

"I'd rather die than go with you," she said, bringing the gun in front of her face to point it at the man on the ground, and his eyes darkened, as he pressed on the trigger.

Lucy quickly closed her eyes, but was surprised when the gun didn't go off after a few seconds. She tentatively opened her eyes, and saw that the man had passed out on the ground, his head turned to the side as if someone had kicked him. Next to him stood another man that she instantly recognised.

"Natsu," she mumbled in a haze. "How the hell did you get into my house? I locked the door."

"I climbed through the window," he replied, his gaze locked into the man on the floor to make sure that he was really unconscious.

He kicked the man's gun away from him, and walked towards her to kneel in front of her, his worried eyes immediately looking into hers.

"Shit, you're hurt," he mumbled, his eyes drifting towards her shoulder.

"I'll be fine," she replied, pulling herself up.

"You should probably not move too much," he warned her, putting a hand on her uninjured shoulder to stop her from moving.

"I told you, it's nothing. Besides, how did you find me?" she asked.

"I followed you after you dropped Yukino at the office," he replied, watching her carefully.

"Holy shit, I didn't know you had a twin," she mumbled.

"A twin?" he exclaimed. "What are you talking about?"

Lucy smiled at him, her vision getting blurry, and the number of Natsu's multiplying in front of her eyes. The last thing she saw were his lips moving, calling her name, before everything went black.

-: :-

Lucy slowly opened her eyes, and instantly regretted it when she felt the searing pain in her shoulder. She groaned out, the brightness of the room blinding her, before she slowly blinked to get used to the light. She sat up on the comfortable bed, looking around the room, before realizing that she wasn't in her house, nor was she at the hospital. She was in someone's room, and that someone was very messy judging by the clothes on the floor and the junk covering every surface in the room.

The door swung opened, and a pink head peeked inside. Her favourite agent instantly smiled when he saw that she was awake, and his grin only widened when he noticed her confused expression.

"You're awake, that's good," he said, entering the room and walking towards her.

"Yeah, I wish I weren't," she grumbled, the pain in her shoulder ever-so present. "Where am I?"

"In my room," he simply replied.

"…Why am I in your room, agent?" she asked.

"Because you needed to rest," he said, sitting on the bed next to her. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been stabbed in the shoulder," she retorted, and he laughed.

She couldn't help but stare at him, and at the way his whole face lit up with joy as he laughed, and she smiled in amusement.

"I'm glad my misery pleases you," she told him.

He instantly stopped laughing, and looked at her. "Come on," he whined. "You know it's not like that."

"Yeah, sure," she smiled, looking down at her lap.

She suddenly realized that she wasn't wearing her clothes, but a male shirt that she assumed was Natsu's.

"Did you change my clothes?"

"Well, yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment, and Lucy would lie if she didn't find it absolutely adorable. "I had to take off your shirt to clean the wound. Plus, it was all bloodied and ripped. I swear I didn't look or anything-"

"You already saw me naked," she cut him off, and he turned beet red. "You don't have to be embarrassed about it."

"Yeah, sorry," he mumbled out, suddenly turning serious. "What happened at your house?"

"Hades' men, he sent them after me," she responded, thinking back to the events. "Why am I in your house?"

"I don't think you would have liked to go to the hospital and then taken for questioning," he said.

"I though you would have arrested me," she said, looking at him. "But instead, you saved me and then you patched me up."

"I wasn't going to let you bleed out on your kitchen floor," he shrugged. "Plus, you helped us last time. I figured that I owed you."

"I didn't do that to help you," she said. "I did it for these women, they deserve better."

"I agree," he nodded, getting up from the bed. "I'll give you some clothes to change into. I bet you're hungry, and we have a lot to talk about."

"Yeah, I kind of am," she admitted, smiling shyly.

He nodded, walking to his closet to grab a shirt and some shorts, and put them on the bed for her to change into. He quickly walked out of the room to allow her to do so, and Lucy stood up with some difficulty, and removed her pants and Natsu's shirt. There was a bandage tightly wrapped around her shoulder. The work was slightly clumsy, but it did the job.

When she was done putting on the clothes he gave her, she exited the room, and walked through the house, observing her surroundings. She passed by the kitchen and found him standing in front of the coffee machine, and she hesitantly walked inside, and awkwardly stood in front of the table.

"Why don't you sit, I'll get you something to eat. Do you want coffee?" he said, his back to her.

"Uh, yeah, that would be nice," she replied, sitting down.

He grabbed a mug and filled it, before walking towards her and putting it on the table in front of her. She thanked him, grabbing the mug and taking a sip, sighing in content as the hot bitter liquid coated her tongue. Soon enough, Natsu had put a plate of food in front of her that she ate quickly, due to being really hungry, and leaned back on her chair. Natsu had been silent the whole time, watching her eat and sipping his own coffee.

"Thank you," she told him.

"It's nothing," he replied, looking at her with intimidating intensity.

Lucy nervously shifted in her seat, but refused to look away. They sat in the kitchen, staring at each other, and she felt like it was a competition to see who would back down first. She watched as he brought the cup in his hand to his mouth and took a sip, before he noisily put it on the table, and finally opened his mouth.

"So, Lucy Heartfilia huh? It's nice to finally meet you."


	8. Part VIII

Like a deer caught in the headlights, Lucy froze in her seat, staring at the man sitting in front of her with wide eyes. Natsu's stare didn't waver, as he kept intensely looking into her eyes, and Lucy swallowed the lump in her throat with difficulty, her mind a whirlwind of panicky thoughts.

"H-how?" she muttered.

"I'm an agent, it's my job to solve mysteries, and I have to say that you're the most interesting one I've had so far," he replied calmly, his words measured, and Lucy didn't recognize the shy and bashful man she had been talking to earlier. He was a completely different person when he went into cop mode.

"You keep saying that I'm a mystery, what's up with that?" she asked in a deflated tone.

"You've been one since day one," he answered. "I've never wanted to uncover anyone's secrets as much as when I met you."

She leaned back on her chair, sighing in defeat and crossing her arms in front of her chest. She threw her head back, staring at the ceiling and contemplating what to say next. The man had helped her, and despite what she had expected from an agent, he hadn't arrested her, and yet, she still didn't know what he wanted with her.

"Great, it seems like you've figured me out," she mumbled to herself, but Natsu heard it loud and clear.

"I feel like there's much more to uncover," he said with a chuckle. "Every time I discover something new about you, ten other questions appear in my mind. You're an endless pit, darling."

Lucy laughed humorlessly, yelping midway when she felt a stab of pain in her shoulder from the movement, and looked back at him.

"I'm not your darling," she sneered. "And I don't understand why you're keeping me here."

He smiled, his lopsided grin returning on his face. "Curiosity."

She stared blankly at him. "…what?"

He shrugged. "I'm curious about you, I want to know how you've become this way. Despite what you think, I don't know much more about you than your name and the information I found about your parents in the files at the office."

"So you know about their deaths then?"

"Yes," he nodded. "My condolences."

"Thanks," she muttered back, her expression darkening. He seemed sincere in his apology, but she couldn't help but be defensive, since she wasn't sure about the extent of his knowledge about her. "Now tell me, agent, what else do you know about me? Who do you think I am?" she asked in amusement, a slightly flirty edge to her voice. It was her best defense mechanism when she felt uncomfortable.

He chuckled, raising an eyebrow and leaning against the table, cocking his head. "I would tell you, but would you enlighten me if I had you wrong? Would you allow me to get to know you?"

"Do you think that you deserve to know me?" she inquired.

"I don't think I deserve anything," he explained. "You just…intrigue me."

"I'm not one of your cases," she snapped at him, her flirty demeanour dissolving. "I don't know what you're playing at, but you're not being the good agent you're supposed to be."

"You may not know what I'm playing at, but you seem to like the game, darling. You obviously don't know me either, I'm not as _good_ as I appear to be," he replied, grinning impishly from ear to ear.

Lucy had always been one foot ahead of everyone, courtesy of constantly fearing for her life, but the man made her feel like she was being toyed with.

She simply glared at Natsu, and he kept looking at her with the same grin on his face, a playful twinkle in his eyes. Their little stare-off lasted for a few seconds, before a small _meow_ interrupted them, and Lucy broke the eye contact to look down.

A small cat was sitting on the ground, looking at them with a look that she would have deemed mischievous had it been on the face of a person. It was waving its tail from side to side, and Lucy noticed that the cat's fur was of a curiously blue colour. It seemed that the _pink_ haired man liked unusual shades.

"Why is your cat blue?" she blurted out.

"I don't know," he said with a chuckle, watching as the cat rubbed against Lucy's legs. "I let him out one day and he came back like that, I think some kids dropped paint on him or something."

"Have you tried washing him?" she asked, picking the fuzz ball in her hands and placing it on her lap. She had always been a lover of animals of all sorts, and hadn't had the occasion to take care of one in her life. She distinctly remembered her father forbidding her from having an animal the day she had brought an injured kitten home, and she recalled wailing for hours after it had been taken away, before her father angrily told her to stop acting like a brat.

"Of course I did!" he exclaimed indignantly. "I can't wash the colour away no matter how many times I try!"

"Maybe you should try shaving off his fur," she suggested, examining the cat.

The small animal seemingly understood what she said, because he suddenly dug his claws into her arm. She yelped in pain, both from her shoulder due to the sudden movement, and from the cat's claws, as the animal jumped off her lap into Natsu's. The pink haired man laughed, rubbing his cat's fur, and she frowned at him, her eyes shifting to his lap to glare at the feline.

"You made Happy mad," he chuckled.

"You named your cat Happy? That's _fucking_ rich," she growled, rubbing the tender skin of her forearm. "I'm going to bathe you in bleach, you stupid cat."

The cat hissed from Natsu's lap, and the pink haired man grabbed Happy to put him on the ground. The cat walked away, staring at Lucy the whole time, until he disappeared into the living room.

"He likes you," commented Natsu.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" she snapped. "He almost tore my arm off!"

"You were stabbed with a knife yesterday, and you're complaining about a harmless cat?" mused Natsu with a chuckle, amused by her anger. "Besides, it's his way to show his love, he's a bit on the aggressive side."

"The person who put the knife in my shoulder was inherently hostile. I wasn't expecting your damn cat to be this touchy about his fur," she grumbled out.

"He's just sensitive," Natsu said defensively.

Lucy shook her head in disbelief, and it was followed by was a short silence during which the two occupants of the kitchen got lost in their thoughts, before Lucy spoke.

"I don't think there's any use in being hostile with each other right now. I helped you with the case last week, and you saved my ass. We're even now, and I'm not going to bother you any further. I'm going to leave soon," she revealed.

His head snapped up in surprise. "Where do you think you can go with that injury? If something happens, you won't be able to defend yourself, especially now that Hades is after you."

"That's nothing new," she muttered.

"What do you mean by that?" he inquired.

She sighed in resignation, staring into space. "Hades has been after me since my dad died," she revealed. "The only thing that has changed now is that he doesn't know that I'm the one behind last week's fiasco at the club. He would have a field day if he knew it were me."

He looked at her for a few moments, processing what she had told him. "I suspected you were on the run from someone, but why Hades? What did you do to him?"

"Nothing," she replied. "I didn't do anything to him, it's only due to a matter of circumstances."

"I have to admit that you've lost me here," he admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, and Lucy closed her eyes. A tired sigh left her lips, before she looked at him once again with gravity in her eyes.

"Look, I don't know what you really want with me, but I don't have to tell you anything about my past. I'm tired of playing this little cat-and-mouse game. I have one goal, and it's to find my guardian, whose name you apparently know. I won't let anyone stop me, not even you."

"You're playing a dangerous game," he muttered darkly. "Hades is no piece of cake, he's mental."

"You think that I don't know that?" she bellowed in anger. "You think that I don't know how dangerous he can be? Tell that to the little seven year old girl who was there when her mother got raped and murdered by three men sent by him in cold blood!"

His eyes widened, and he looked sideways guiltily. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

She laughed humorlessly. "Like hell you didn't know about it. It was in the file, don't tell me that you didn't read it?"

"I did," he admitted. "They mentioned a small girl, but I wasn't aware that you had witnessed the whole thing."

She seemed to calm down, as she looked down at her lap. "I didn't see what happened, but I _heard_ everything. Besides, I don't care how dangerous he is, but I'm not leaving Aquarius there with those men. I was too afraid for years, but now, I don't want to back down," she murmured. "I _can't_ back down, and I won't let anyone stop me, not even you. She was the only person I had, and I can't afford to lose her too."

"You had Levy as well," said Natsu with a gentle tone.

She narrowed her eyes at him, frowning at his words. "What did you say?"

"When you were in France with Aquarius," he started, speaking carefully, "you had your friend Levy. She was there for you as well, you weren't alone."

Lucy started laughing, throwing her head back, and Natsu was confused for a second. "Why am I not surprised that you know about Levy? And how the fuck would you know if I weren't lonely, huh? _I_ had to deal with all the horrors I saw by _myself_ , _I_ had to hide my identity after my dad sent me there for my protection, and _I_ had to pretend like I wasn't constantly on edge and afraid that Hades would come and kill everyone close to me!" she exclaimed.

The rage accumulated for years was seeping from every word she spoke. Her breath was laboured after her tirade, and she found herself startled by the brute honesty she had just exhibited. It had been too long since she had been open with her feelings and with her fears, and by pushing all the right buttons, the man sitting in front of her had unlocked all of it.

The said agent was looking at her with both uncertainty and determination in his gaze, as If he were venturing down uncharted territory. Her words made him see where she was coming from, and he suddenly pitied the woman who suddenly seemed lost and vulnerable, a radical change from the sultry and confident woman he had met all those weeks ago. He understood now why the woman had been crying in his arms when she had given herself to him. She had probably not had any real human contact in so long, being afraid and trapped in an endless loop because of her past.

"Levy cares about you," he said, and she looked quizzically at him, wondering what he was talking about. "She cares about you a lot, and she was devastated when you left her."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded, her eyes widening.

"Your friend Levy, I know her, she works at the headquarters. That's how I found out who you were."

"Levy," she muttered in disbelief.

"She told me who you were when she saw your mother's picture in my office," he started. "I read her file, you look exactly like her."

"I've been told," she replied, staring at her empty coffee cup.

Natsu noticed, because he grabbed the mug and stood up to fill it up with coffee once again, before he put it in front of her and took place in his chair, much closer to her this time. She gave him a grateful look and sipped at it, wishing it were alcohol, which she really needed at that moment.

"Why are you not going after Hades?" he asked her after a moment.

She looked at him questionably. "Why would I do that? I don't have a death wish."

"He murdered your mother," explained Natsu. "I thought it was the reason why you were looking for him at first."

She shrugged halfheartedly. "I'm not invincible, and I have limited resources. So no, I'm not looking for him specifically, and I'm not stupid enough to attempt to kill him for revenge. The man is dangerous, but I don't have to tell you that."

"And so are his subordinates," he replied with a pointed look. "You should stop what you're doing let us deal with him. You know, us, the FBI, the people who are actually _trained_ for this. It's not your place to look into his operation, and I have no desire of finding your corpse in some ditch."

"You know I can't do that," she said. "You guys have been after him for more than a decade, so what tells me that it won't take years for you to stop the prostitution ring, huh? I had to sneak inside the club for you guys to figure out that he was hiding a fucking _brothel_ in the basement."

"And we're grateful for that," he interrupted, leaning forwards closer to her. "But what kind of agent would I be if I let you endanger yourself again? I should have arrested you that day you were at Grimoire Heart, but I didn't, and you got attacked and stabbed by his men. I'm afraid that I'm going to have to keep you here, it's the safest option for you."

"You can't do that," she exclaimed, horrified. "I can't stay at your house, or I'll be putting _you_ in danger."

"I'm an agent, I'm always in danger," he replied. "Between the two of us, I'm the one trained for this, and before you interrupt me, yes I do know that you can hold your own in a fight, but I don't have to remind you that Hades' men fight dirty."

"You obviously haven't seen the whole fight in the kitchen, I can fight dirty too," she protested, thinking back to the way she jammed one of the attackers' head in the fridge's handle.

"Perhaps, but they're dirtier," he insisted. "I know that I can't stop you unless I stay here to watch you all the time, but I can't do that. So for the meantime, you're going to hide in this apartment until your shoulder heals. We took the goons that invaded your apartment to the headquarters for questioning, and they're going to help us find Hades. I'm hoping that we will solve this before you decide to flee once again."

"No," she argued. "Do you really think that I would listen to your commands? I have to leave, I can't just stop looking because of an irrelevant injury."

"By all means, go ahead," he chuckled, leaning back on his chair and pointing at the door. "But the moment you leave through that door, I'm dragging you to the station. I'm not letting you endanger yourself when you can't even defend yourself properly."

She groaned in discontent, giving him a dirty look. "You keep talking about taking me to the station, didn't you already report me after you found me? You obviously had to if you took those two men there."

"No," he replied. "I told them that you escaped, but now everyone knows about you. It'll be a little harder for you to sneak around."

Lucy sighed, and rubbed her tired eyes. It seemed like she wouldn't have the last word. "Fine, I'll stay here for the meantime until my shoulder heals, I owe you that at least for not arresting me. But I can't promise that I won't leave if I find something that might lead me to Aquarius. You have to understand that I can't just give up after years of preparation and digging for information."

"As you wish," he nodded. "Since we're going to be living together for now, would you mind explaining to me why Hades had been after you for years?"

She thought for a moment, trying to decide if it were worth it, before speaking. "I don't think it would help you in any way for the case. It's been years."

"It's worth trying," he insisted. "We can at least resolve the case about your mom. Besides, you owe me."

"I don't owe you anything," she exclaimed, offended. "We're even now!"

"You're in position of arguing about being even when I should have dragged you to talk to my boss," he pointed out.

 _He has a fair point_ , she thought.

"Fine," she complied, shifting in her seat and readying herself to count the tale. "As I had mentioned earlier, Hades had had my mother killed when I was seven, like it was written in the file. The reason for that is because my mother was brought here from France to be added to his collection."

"Your mother was French? Is that why you speak the language?"

"Yeah," she nodded, before continuing. "She had always dreamed of coming here, and he had given her the opportunity under the pretense that she would have a good job that was already waiting for her. She wasn't aware that her body would be used for money. So when she realized what it was all about when she talked to the other ladies on the trip here, she started planning a way to escape. She met my father on the plane, and he turned out to be her gateway. He managed to help her escape, and they fell in love and got married shortly after."

"And let me guess, Hades found her years later?" asked Natsu.

"He did," she responded. "He probably lost interest in her after she fled, because I'm sure he would have found her a lot sooner. That was when my father started making money, and his fortune grew, and that interested Hades a lot. So he went to see him to strike a deal, but my father refused. Hades was of course angry about it, so he sent men to our house to threaten my father. He wasn't home that night, it was only me, my mother, and some servants. You should have seen the way their faces morphed into pure cruelty when they saw my mother. They alerted Hades and he gave them the green light, right in front of her while she was held at gunpoint. He needed my father's money to finance the club that he had planned on buying, and my mother had played him back then. So it was a _'two hits with one stone'_ sort of situation."

Lucy's eyes were getting progressively sadder as she spoke, and her expression gloomier. Her voice was also slightly shaky, and Natsu would have stopped her from talking if he didn't absolutely need to learn about what happened.

"A-and you know what happened next that night. They took their time violating her, and then they k-killed her when they were spent. All that was because Hades wanted father's money, and my mother served as a warning," she muttered shakily.

"Is that why he sent you away?" asked Natsu in a soft voice.

"Yes," she answered with a short nod. "When my dad came back home, and discovered what happened, he was devastated, and he blamed himself a lot. He couldn't even tell the police about it because Hades threatened him. He told him that if he didn't finance them, he would take me from me like he did with my mother. That's why he sent me to live with Aquarius under a new name, so that Hades would not find me if he backed down on the deal. My father had no choice but to cooperate, and he gave him money for years until he couldn't take it anymore. He got increasingly depressed through the years, and it got the best of him, and that's why he started losing money. It was only the catalyst that started his downfall, before he ultimately killed himself."

"I'm sorry about all of this," said Natsu sincerely.

"You don't have to apologize, it's not like it was your fault," replied Lucy after taking a deep breath. It had been a long time since she had confided in someone, and it felt strangely liberating to talk about something that she had been keeping inside for so long.

"I feel like a dick now for forcing you to talk about your past," commented Natsu.

She laughed at the remark, and Natsu smiled, proud of being able to lift up her spirits. "I was no better, I handcuffed you to a desk."

"I still haven't forgiven you for that," he teased with a playful wink, and Lucy felt her face grow hotter at the alluring sight.

It felt strange to sit in the middle of the kitchen of a man she was aware of being undeniably attracted to. Sure, both of them had had sex together, but that had been different, in the spur of the moment. Now that they were being more civil, almost amicable, there was a certain shyness in the air when they weren't talking about serious subjects, especially since their their little escapade at the club's bathroom lingered at the back of their minds.

"I guess we should call this a truce then," he suggested, extending his hand for her to shake.

"Until my shoulder heals," she replied with a genuine smile, taking his hand in hers and firmly shaking it.

"Until your shoulder heals," he repeated with a boyish grin, and Lucy found that she couldn't take her eyes away from it.

Up until this point, their encounters had been spontaneous and filled with passion, brought up by the mystery behind Lucy's past. But speaking with him like this made Lucy realize that the thing that she liked the most about him was his boyish attitude. She felt like it was the real him when you went past the agent aspect, a young man who loved to smile and take things easy. She momentarily wondered, and she stared into his eyes, if that attracted her because it was the first time in a long while that she had sat with someone without having to look over her shoulder. When she saw his eyes flick down to her mouth and back to her eyes, she knew that the desire she felt definitely wasn't one-sided.

Natsu was thinking the same thing. Behind her strong persona and tough attitude was a vulnerable young woman who was just looking for answers, and was tired of being afraid and alone. Her sultriness had certainly initially attracted him, but when he had finally seen the first genuine smile on her face after she had caved in and revealed her past, he knew that he had it bad for the blonde woman.

As his eyes flicked down to her lips, he felt the irresistible urge to kiss her after the way they had connected on that kitchen table. He knew that she had noticed the way he stared at her lips, because he saw her sinful tongue dart out and lick her lower lip, and he couldn't help but lean forwards, his hand still clutching the hand he had shook earlier. She copied the movement, and their faces got progressively closer, until they were a mere breath away from touching. His breath fanned over her face, and Lucy felt a shiver run down her spine and bit her lip. Natsu groaned at the sight, and ultimately lunged forwards to finally give in to his desire and claim her lips, when a knock on the door stopped him in his tracks. The two occupants of the table quickly separated, a light redness dusting their cheeks, and Natsu cursed whomever was at the door for having the worst timing ever.

" _Shit_ ," he swore under his breath. "I wasn't expecting someone to come over today. You should go hide in the bedroom."

"Sure," she acquiesced, and he noted hint of disappointment in her voice that made him feel proud.

"It won't be long," he said.

Lucy quickly walked to the bedroom, closing the door behind her, and Natsu went to the front door to see who was visiting. He opened it, and was met with an utmost unexpected sight.

"Lisanna?" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi Natsu, it's good to see you too," she smiled, slightly rolling her eyes at him. "I'm here to pick up Happy, remember?"

Natsu indeed recalled that she had wanted to have the cat for a few days. They had adopted him together when they were younger, before they had started dating, and she was fond of the little animal as well.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot," he admitted sheepishly, but simply stood there.

"So, can I come in?" she asked.

He hesitated for a second, before nodding and making way for her. "Sure."

She walked inside, looking around the apartment and grimacing at how messy it was. Despite scolding him endless times when they had been living together and dating, Natsu hadn't changed, and his bad habits had stayed with him.

"Where's the little rascal?" she inquired, looking around for the cat.

"He should be around somewhere," he replied, walking to the living room where he had seen Happy go earlier. But the cat was not there either.

"Happy," he called, but received no answer. "That's strange, he's usually super eager and happy to see you. It seems like he has disappeared-"

 _Meow_.

They both jumped at the sound, and turned towards Natsu's room where it was coming from. It was shortly followed by a hiss, and a loud _bang_ , and Natsu's eyes widened as he realized what was happening.

"Oh, he's in your room," said Lisanna, stepping towards the sound. "I wonder what he got himself into this time."

"Wait, don't go there," shouted Natsu, stepping in front of her to block the way.

"Why?" she asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Because…" he started, the gears in his brain turning, "because it's messy, you don't want to see that."

"Natsu, your whole house is messy. I'm used to it by now."

"Yes but it's a lot messier," he said with an uncertain chuckle. "Trust me, you really don't want to see it."

"Okay," she replied, dragging the word. "What about Happy?"

"I'll bring him to yours later, I need to pass by your house anyway," he suggested.

"Or you can just go there and get him for me now," she added.

"Well, the thing is that I didn't prepare his stuff yet," he admitted sheepishly. "I've been a bit busy."

"I can see that," she smiled, her eyes trailing over the kitchen table where she noticed the two pulled out chairs and the two mugs.

"I had someone over," he replied hastily, before he started pushing her towards the exit.

"Slow down, Natsu, I'm going," she protested.

"Sorry," he said, opening the front door for her. "I'll bring him by in the afternoon, say hello to Mirajane and Elfman for me."

"I will," she replied, a hint of suspiciousness in her words.

She was about to leave, when she noticed something by the door. There was a pair of female boots, and her eyes widened in surprise. Natsu realized what she was looking at, and cursed himself for putting the shoes there when he had removed them from Lucy's feet while she was unconscious. He gulped in nervousness when he saw Lisanna's smile turn mischievous, and he met her eyes with fear in his.

"Oh I get it, you're hiding a lady," she mused.

"No I'm not, and it's nothing like that," he protested, waving his arms frantically. "My friend, she forgot her boots here."

"And how did she go home without shoes?" asked Lisanna with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile on her lips.

"Uh," he stammered, looking for an excuse.

"Come on Natsu, you could have at least told me that you had a girlfriend," she said, shaking her head in disappointment.

"I don't have a girlfriend," he argued. "She's just a friend! And weren't you leaving?"

"I wasn't leaving, you're the one who literally pushed me out," she replied back. "I'll be going now. You don't need to bring Happy to my house, I'll swing by another day. After all, I wouldn't want to interrupt whatever you're doing with your not-girlfriend."

She gave him one last smile, accompanied by a knowing wink, and left the apartment, giggling to herself about _telling Mira_ , and Natsu closed the door behind, groaning in annoyance. He had completely forgotten about Lisanna swinging by, and was glad that at least it wasn't Mirajane. That demon woman had a sixth sense when it came to these kinds of things, and would have probably realized something was up the moment he opened the door. Unlike her sister, Mirajane would have not hesitated to barge inside his room and drag the _lady_ hiding there out, and neither of them wanted that to happen.

Thinking back to Lucy, he recalled the ruckus he had heard earlier, and walked to his room to see what was going on. When he opened the door, he saw an annoyed and flustered Lucy sitting on his bed, holding a lump to her chest underneath her shirt. He realized it was Happy when he saw his blue fur peeking from her top, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry about that," she grumbled out. "He jumped on me when I entered the room, and I had to hold him down."

"He doesn't seem to be complaining," he remarked.

She reddened, suddenly shy. "Well, when I held him to my chest he calmed down, and I think he recognised your scent because he decided to sneak inside my-your shirt. He's sleeping now, and I don't want to take him out in fear of getting scratched."

Natsu laughed, looking at her with amusement. "I told you that he liked you."

She smiled at him, and spoke softly. "Yeah, maybe he does after all."

Natsu suddenly noticed the red stain on her shoulder, and he gasped. "Shit, you're bleeding."

She looked at the spot, and shrugged. "Oh, yeah. I think I pulled the stitches when I was fighting with Happy. You did a good job, by the way, it hadn't bled up until now."

"I have to take a look at it, we don't want you losing more blood," he suggested, approaching her, and she winced when he lightly probed the spot with his fingers. "But first, we have to take Happy out of your shirt."

Lucy looked down and the lump, and visibly blanched at the prospect of facing the little devil, and stared at Natsu with a horrified and pleading expression. The pink haired man simply laughed, shaking his head, and walked away to his bathroom to get his first aid kit.

"Do you also happen to have any painkillers? The pain is starting to kill me," she shouted from the room, and he chuckled. Of course he did, it was a must when you were an agent after all.

"How strong?" he replied loudly.

He waited for a few moment, before he heard Happy meow loudly, followed by a hiss, and Lucy shrieked.

"You know what, get me the strongest you've got!"

 


	9. Part IX

"So, we still have no clue where she is?"

"Nope."

Gray gave Natsu a suspicious glare, squinting his eyes at the pink haired man.

"That's weird, there was blood in the kitchen. She shouldn't have gone far. Unless Hades already caught her, I don't think it would be that hard to figure out where she is with an injury that left that much blood behind," added the dark haired man.

"You seem to forget that this is the same woman who had been on the run from him for years," replied Natsu nonchalantly. "She's good at hiding."

"Maybe you're right," sighed Gray. "I still wonder why she was on the run. I guess we should still wait to know that until your next meeting."

"Who says that we'll meet again?" taunted Natsu, quirking his eyebrow.

"You always do," smirked Gray. "You two are like magnets, always finding each other in the strangest circumstances. Besides, you look like someone who needs to get laid."

"Hey!" exclaimed Natsu, sitting upright on the chair he was leaning against. "What does that mean, you stripper?"

"You've been tense and constantly on edge for the last two weeks. Since she had escaped from your grasp then, I suspect it has something to do with her," explained Gray with a shrug.

"It doesn't mean that I need to get laid," grumbled Natsu, crossing his arms defiantly on his chest.

"Considering she was the last woman you banged, I beg to differ," said Gray with triumphant smile, and Natsu sank further into his seat.

"Shouldn't you be working? We need to find Hades' other brothels," exclaimed Natsu, trying to diverge the conversation.

"Sure," replied Gray with an eye roll. "Day's almost over anyway, and one of us is going home to get laid."

"I wish," mumbled Natsu under his breath.

"I wasn't talking about you," stated Gray, getting up from his chair and grabbing his discarded shirt on the floor. "I have a date tonight, and I'm counting on it to end with someone in my bed."

Natsu's eyes widened as he stared up at Gray in disbelief, before a wide grin stretched his lips. "A date? And you didn't tell me? I thought we were bros!"

"Shut the fuck up," an annoyed Gray exclaimed, clicking his tongue at his rival.

"So who is it? Someone you picked up at a club?"

"I've been too busy with the case to go out, flame brain," replied Gray, grabbing his keys.

Natsu thought for a moment. "Someone you see often then? Let me guess, is it that sweet girl from the bakery?"

Gray nodded. "Yeah, and her name's Juvia."

"I can't believe you finally listened to my advice," Natsu whistled out, impressed. "I hope it's not going to be another one of your usual one night stands."

"So what if it is?" asked Gray with a raised eyebrow.

"She seems to like you a lot," explained Natsu. "You should probably tell her that it's not going further than that before you…take her to bed."

"Whatever you say," shrugged Gray, leaving the office.

-: :-

Natsu opened his front door, entering the apartment with a tired sigh after a long day at work. They were getting closer to finding Hades –at least that's what they suspected-, and the rhythm at the office had been relentless, sometimes even keeping him there at night. Honestly, he deserved a raise after all these hours he spent hunched over his desk reading files and looking for clues.

As he put his shoes on the shoe rack, he was surprised when caught a whiff of the aroma of something cooking. The smell was delicious, and he found himself salivating at the prospect of tasting the food.

" _Shit_ ," cursed a feminine voice coming from the kitchen, followed by the loud _bang_ of the unmistakable clattering of dishes on the floor.

Natsu walked towards the culprit, his eyes roaming around the now clean and organized house, and he prayed the heavens that nor Lisanna nor Mira would drop by when his house was in that state. They already suspected him of having a girlfriend, and they would instantly know that tidying his house was not his own work.

His head peeking from the kitchen's door-frame, he saw the blonde woman pick up a pan from the ground, giving him a much appreciated view of her bountiful derriere, and he internally groaned at the sight. If meeting her when she was all dolled-up at the club had been a sight to behold, having her prancing around in his clothes looked like pure sin. The large shirt she was wearing at that moment was white and simple, hanging off one of her shoulders, and Lisanna's shorts that he had found at the far back of his closet were tight on her ass due to her curvier form.

"You're going to stand there and admire me some more or are you coming in?" she said, her back to him.

He jumped at her voice, noting some amusement in her words, and cleared his throat in embarrassment, before walking towards her.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Making food," she simply replied, putting a large pan on the stove, next to a smaller one on which there was some sort of meat that was already cooked. "It helps me relax. Plus, I was hungry and you have nothing in your fridge," she said, picking up a wooden spoon and pointing it accusingly at him.

"I'm not the best cook," he shrugged, sitting at the kitchen table. "I usually order something or make a sandwich."

"I noticed that," she laughed, remembering the food he had brought her while she had been recuperating. It had been edible, but they could do better.

"Shouldn't you be resting? You're not fully healed yet," he noted, eyeing the bandage he had wrapped around her shoulder that morning.

"I'm fine, I've had worse," she replied, pouring a generous amount of vegetable oil in the pan. "It barely hurts now, and I was getting really bored."

"I noticed that," he said, mirroring the words that had come out of her mouth moments earlier. "Did you clean the house?"

"Who else?" she said. "I'm used to living in minimalistic and tidy places, and the mess was driving me insane. I hope you don't mind, I wanted to repay you for looking after me these past few weeks."

"Nah, I don't," he shrugged it off with a wave of his hand. "The place needed to be cleaned anyway. Lisanna used to come by and do it, despite my objections, but it hadn't been cleaned since I told her not to come in."

"I'm surprised she listened, she looks like a tenacious girl," remarked Lucy.

"I told her that I had a bug problem, she's deadly afraid of them," he explained.

Lucy laughed, shooting him an amused sideways glance, and turned on the stove to heat the pan. There were already a bunch of vegetables she had cut into tiny pieces sitting on the cutting board on the counter, and Natsu frowned, wondering how she had found those in his fridge. He sure as hell didn't buy any vegetables.

"I texted Lisanna with your phone this morning when you were in the shower and asked her to buy some and leave them in front of the door," explained Lucy when she noticed him eyeing the board.

"What?" he exclaimed angrily. "Why would you do that? She knows that I don't buy vegetables, she's going to suspect something!"

"It makes me wonder how you can stay this fit with all the junk you put in your body," she mumbled, but Natsu caught every word. "Don't worry, I told her that Gray was cooking."

"Gray?"

She shrugged. "It's the first name I saw in your contacts. Is he your boyfriend?"

"Of course not!" he exclaimed with indignation. "He's my partner!"

"That's weird," she mumbled. "Lisanna replied saying that she knew you two were dating or something, you could have fooled me."

Natsu gagged in disgust, wondering why everyone thought that his partner and he were lovers. "I don't like men, and even if I did, I sure as hell wouldn't date that pervert."

Lucy snickered, picking up the cutting board and tilting it above the pan. She grabbed the wooden spoon and pushed the vegetables down, and Natsu watched as they hit the oil, sending little droplets flying around, and resulting in a sizzling sound.

"How's Yukino?" asked Lucy, surprising Natsu with the unexpected question.

"Yukino?" he replied dumbly. "Uh-well, she's fine I guess. She's still under witness protection if that's what you're asking."

"Did she say anything about the ring?" she continued, stirring the contents of the pan with the wooden spoon.

"Yeah," Natsu nodded. "She helped a lot, we've uncovered two more. I feel like we're pretty close to Hades now. With the number of girls we found, I think that we have all the hideouts covered."

Lucy stopped stirring for a moment, and turned around to stare at Natsu, biting her bottom lip before speaking hesitantly. "Did you…find anything about Aquarius?"

He shook his head, watching as her hopeful expression fell. "I'm sorry, we haven't found anything about her. I even gave the girls we liberated the description you gave me, but none of them recognized her."

Lucy sighed, turning around to keep watching on the food. She picked up a bowl and emptied its content –a powder of some sort- into the pan.

"He must keep her close to him," she declared insistently. "If we find Hades, we find Aquarius."

"We?" asked Natsu. "There's no 'we'. The FBI will catch him, and I've said it a million times already, but he's too dangerous for you."

"I recall our little pact to hold until this shoulder heals," she pointed out, tapping that part on her body. "Once I've fully recovered, I'll be good to go."

Natsu glared at her back. "You're too stubborn for your own good, it'll get you killed."

"Then just take me to the station," she simply declared, taunting him.

"I might as well if it keeps you safe," he mumbled, and Lucy bit her lower lip. She didn't know why he was so adamant in keeping her with him, knowing fully well that she was capable of taking care of herself, but she wasn't going to argue when she got to stay with a handsome man in a relatively safe apartment.

The past two weeks had been heaven for the young woman who didn't have to worry about getting killed at every waking moment. Natsu tended to her injury like a proper gentle nurse would –which she incessantly teased him about-, and she had ended up developing a somewhat trusting relationship with the man while basking in the comfortable atmosphere of the little apartment. She knew that she would have to go on her way at some point, but she found herself almost apprehensive at the prospect of leaving Natsu.

She would lie if she didn't admit that she liked him a lot. She also got so used to the routine that it would seem strange to her not to wake up in his comfortable bed and find him deliciously shirtless in the kitchen making coffee for both of them –the only thing he claimed to be able to properly make-, before she would sit down and gently mock the dragon he had inked on his arm. She almost exited his room once in her underwear to give him a taste of his own medicine, but the palpable sexual tension between them in the air would have probably made them jump each other's bones. The little escapade they had at Grimoire Heart still lingered at the back of their minds, and Lucy would be damned if she let herself get attached even more to the young man. Getting attached to him would only result in both of them getting hurt, and her feelings for him were already getting stronger, and their foreignness frankly scared her. She often wondered if she had developed them due to the security he offered her, a woman who had not felt safe since her mother's murder.

"I don't understand how you managed to get on with all the unhealthy food you eat," she started. "That's not good for you."

"You sound like my mom," he laughed. "Lisanna and Erza force me to eat healthy from time to time. Erza made me eat a whole batch of broccolis once, it was terrible," he mentioned, making gagging noises.

"Uncooked?"

"Yup."

"Serves you right."

"Hey!"

"You've got to fill this fridge with something else than the stuff I found this morning. Did you know that the pizza you bought two weeks ago was still there?" she said.

"…Maybe?" he let out in a small voice. He felt like a twelve year old being scolded by his mother, his apparently very hot mother and he wanted to bend over the kitchen table.

 _I'm going to hell_ , he thought.

"I took it upon myself to make something healthier, God knows you need it," she said, turning the stove off and picking up the pan. "We don't want an agent like you getting fat, do we?"

Natsu looked down at his stomach, pulled up his shirt, and traced the outline of his prominent abdominals. "So far, I think I'm pretty good."

When he looked up, he saw Lucy staring down at him, and following the movement of his fingers on his stomach with what he recognised as a hungry look. She bit her lower lip, and he felt a surge of pride, knowing that he affected her as well. When he released his shirt to cover himself, she looked up and met his knowing gaze.

"Uh, yeah," he awkwardly let out, returning to her pan. "It doesn't mean that it's going to stay that way for long."

"I train a lot," he explained with a shrug. "I have to, being an agent and all. Which reminds me, care to tell me who taught you how to fight?"

Lucy walked to the cupboard and pulled out two plates, placing them next to the pan and picking it up to put a generous amount of food in each from the two pans. "I never learned how to fight, that just came with the circumstances. But I used to take self-defence classes while I was in France. My dad paid for them as an extra precaution in case anything happened. I guess it turned out to be useful after I left France."

There was a pause during which Lucy walked up to the fridge again, and took out a box of orange juice to place it on the table. Natsu got up, and opened the cupboard to grab two glasses, and took out two forks, before walking back to his place. The situation felt and looked strangely cozy and domestic, even a little alien, but Natsu appreciated the atmosphere much more as Lucy kept confiding in him about her past.

"You know," she continued, "I've always wanted to travel, and after they came for Aquarius and I, I ended up travelling a lot to evade them, and I visited more countries than I had hoped for. I admit it wasn't in the best circumstances, since I couldn't truly enjoy the places where I hid, but I learned a lot."

Natsu grabbed the juice box and poured a generous amount in the two glasses for both of them. "How did you manage to travel and get along all those years without money?"

"Who said I had no money?" she laughed, picking up the two plates and placing them on the table, before sitting down. "I managed to get by with father's money. I don't know how much he left me, but he opened an account for me when I was really young under a fake name, and put a lot of money in it. It still hasn't run out, so I'm guessing that there's much more than I expect. I'm surprised he didn't use it when he started losing money."

"He obviously knew that you would need it," remarked Natsu, scrutinizing the plate. The meat looked appetizing, but the greener accompaniments made him weary.

"Come on," whined Lucy, noticing his stare. "You look like a kid who never grew out of his _no-vegetables_ phase. I promise that you'll like it, I'm a good cook."

"How modest," teased Natsu, picking up his fork to dig in, and Lucy rolled her eyes. She watched with a hopeful expressing as he took a hesitant bite, before his face lit up in happiness, and he stared at her in surprise.

"This is surprisingly good!" he declared, and Lucy smiled in triumph, digging into her own plate. "I don't know how you managed to make a bunch of vegetables so tasty, but I really like this."

"It's all about the seasoning," she smiled up at him, watching him as he ravenously devoured his food.

"Is that the weird powder you added?" he asked, munching noisily, and Lucy cringed at the noise.

"Don't speak while you eat, and yes, it was a mix of seasonings. I asked Lisanna to get those as well. There's no way in hell I was going to eat something unseasoned, seeing as you didn't even have salt in here," she declared, staring accusingly at him, and Natsu gave her a sheepish grin, swallowing the food in his mouth.

"Sorry," he apologized.

The two finished their food in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Natsu was the first to finish, and he thanked Lucy profusely for cooking something for them, internally wishing that she would do it from now on, and waited for her to finish before picking up the dirty dishes to place them in the sink.

"Is Lisanna your cousin or something?" asked Lucy in a tone that she hoped was nonchalant and innocent.

"No," replied a surprised Natsu. "She's a childhood friend, and also my ex-girlfriend. Why are you asking?"

Lucy thought for a moment. She was the one who was adamant on not getting attached the man, but there she was, asking him about the women in his life and acting like a jealous girlfriend.

"Just wondering, you two seem to be pretty close," she shrugged. "I thought people didn't speak after breaking up."

"That's a strange misconception," laughed Natsu. "We've known each other since we were toddlers, I wasn't going to throw her out of my life simply because we stopped having feelings for each other."

"So, you don't like her anymore?" she asked.

"No," he denied, looking at her with intimidating intensity. "We're just friends now. Why all the questions about my love life?"

At his words, there was a surge of hope in her that he might be available. But available for what? She had a chaotic life, and was hiding from criminals and cops alike, and the man had his whole life and a promising career in front of him. It was simply silly to think that something more would result from their strange little arrangement, even though she wanted nothing more than to invite him in her –his- bed and have her way with him.

"I was just curious if you were in a relationship. I wouldn't want to be the woman you cheated with on someone," she laughed uneasily, waving her hand, and a tense silence fell on them at the mention of that one time they slept together.

"…Don't worry, I wasn't going to sleep with someone if I had a girlfriend," he replied after a few moments. "I'm not that kind of man."

"That's good," she said, nodding her head to herself. "I wouldn't want to be the other woman either."

Lucy cleared her throat, cursing herself for bringing up something that made the situation really awkward for both of them, and got up from her seat. She stood up in front of him, shifting from one foot to the other. She crossed her arms on front of her chest, before indecisively letting them fall on each side of her body. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, unsure of what she wanted to tell him, and Natsu watched her with a hopeful expression. She finally sighed, and turned around to walk to his room.

"I'm going to sleep, goodnight."

"Goodnight," let out Natsu, watching her leave the kitchen. When he heard her close the door to his room, he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. That woman was truly going to be the end of him.

-: :-

"You look tired," said Gray.

"Yeah, I didn't sleep well yesterday," answered Natsu, rubbing his tired eyes, and leaning back on his seat. Lucy had plagued his thoughts the whole night, and he had had some trouble falling asleep, especially knowing that she was sleeping only a few meters away from him in his own room.

"Is that blonde chick keeping awake?" asked Gray, and Natsu looked at him with surprise and shock. Did Gray know that she was hiding with him?

"What?"

"Well, you know, since we can't find her," replied Gray, raising an eyebrow at his partner's strange behaviour.

"Oh, yeah," said Natsu, relaxing slightly. "The whole case is keeping me up, I can't wait until it's over."

"Same thing here," groaned Gray, stretching his arms over his head, and his chair squeaked noisily.

"You're the one who looks tired. Did you have a good night with Juvia?" teased Natsu, and his eyes widened in surprise when he noticed his usually stoic partner flush slightly.

"The date went well, extremely well actually," started Gray.

"And?"

"Well, that's it. I took her home after," continued Gray, looking away from Natsu. "I didn't sleep with her."

"I thought you wanted to," remarked Natsu.

"Hell yeah I did," exclaimed Gray. "She looked great and I wanted nothing more than to take her to bed, but you were right. She likes me a lot and I didn't want to do that to her."

"Damn," whistled Natsu. "It looks like you're growing up."

"That's rich coming from you," Gray sneered out, eyeing Natsu's pink hair.

"Are you going to see her again?" asked Natsu, ignoring Gray's remark.

"I'll think about it," shrugged Gray.

Both went back to their work, before they looked at the door when they heard someone coming in. Levy entered the office, carrying a stack of papers with her, and she smiled uneasily at Natsu, putting them in his hands.

"Here, it's Lucy's unfinished book. I forgot to bring it earlier, and I remembered you asking for it when I stumbled upon it this morning," she said.

"Oh, thank you Levy," smiled Natsu, looking at the papers with a wide grin. "I owe you."

"It's no problem," she replied, waving her hand in dismissal. "Just take care of it, I need it intact."

"Don't worry about that," he reassured her, placing the book in a folder. "Say hello to Gajeel on your way out!"

Levy flushed in embarrassment, and glared at the two grinning men. "Why do you always say that every time I come here?"

"No reason," replied Gray with a wink, and Levy grumbled to herself, scurrying out of the office.

"Do you think that they're going to take the leap soon?" asked Gray.

"I don't know about _soon_ , they're both pretty stubborn and blind," shrugged Natsu.

"I hope they do, it's pretty pathetic to see Gajeel salivating over her every time he sees her," laughed Gray.

"Give the man a rest, he doesn't know how to speak to women," grinned Natsu, chuckling to himself.

"Not like you're any better," taunted his partner.

"Shut the fuck up, you asshole."


	10. Part X

"…What are you doing?"

Natsu watched the little scene unfold in front of him with curious and amused eyes, as Lucy's wiggling butt came to a halt before she emerged from underneath the bed, her face red and beads of sweat on her forehead. She gave him an uneasy smile, before she shrieked and removed her hands from underneath the bed, and looked at the long scratch left on her forearm.

"I'm trying to catch your damn cat," she groaned out. "He was lying peacefully on my stomach while I was reading, and the second I mentioned his bath, he fled!"

"Why do you want to give him a bath?" asked Natsu, joining her and getting on his knees to look underneath the bed.

"Because he needs one," she declared, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "When's the last time you bathed him?"

"I don't remember," he shrugged, before yelping when his shoulder hit the bed. He had forgotten he was beneath it. "He's always whiny and incredibly grouchy whenever I do, so I gave up."

"Typical," mumbled Lucy.

He heard her get up, and he retreated back, sitting on his knees and sighing in annoyance. Happy was hiding very far, and Natsu's frame was too large to fit under the bed for him to reach the feline. Lucy would have more luck, but it seemed like Happy didn't want her close to him.

He heard her open the cupboard in the kitchen, muttering about a _damn cat_ , before she came back, holding a can of sardines in her hands and a small plate.

"I forgot you bought this," she mentioned, opening it, and he instantly heard Happy meow.

"That's a good idea, Happy can't resist fish."

"Well, at least he likes something," she chuckled, emptying the can in the plate. "He's been impossible since he came back from Lisanna's."

"He likes a lot of things," said Natsu, offended. "He likes you a lot."

Lucy gave him a bored look, as both watched as the small feline came out from his hideout, sniffing the air and immediately jumping on the plate.

"Only when I feed him," she replied, picking the cat up. Happy hissed in protest, before he instantly calmed down when she grabbed the plate as well. "I'll wait for him to finish this in the kitchen. Would you please prepare his bath?"

"Of course," grinned Natsu, incredibly amused by the whole situation. "You're acting like Happy's yours, I don't recall anyone taking care of him as much as you do."

Lucy reddened, pouting at the pink haired man, and fidgeting in discomfort. "I like to take care of him, it makes me feel useful. I haven't done much because of my shoulder."

"I wonder who had been cooking all this time," said Natsu sarcastically, shaking his head. "You're only saying that because you're not running towards danger anymore."

Lucy glared at him, and he gave her a lopsided grin, before she huffed and left the room, and Natsu knew he had won that argument. He got up and made his way towards the bathroom, and turned on the faucet, plunging his hand underneath the jet to test its temperature. When he deemed it warm enough, he placed the stopper to fill the bath, and waited for Lucy to bring Happy.

She did not disappoint; soon enough, the feline's loud meowing reached Natsu's ears, and he stifled a chuckle when she entered the bathroom, holding Happy to her shoulder –the uninjured one-, as the cat's claws grabbed at her shirt. When she arrived in front of the bath, she bent over to put Happy inside, and noticing the water approach him, the cat started hissing loudly. Because his claw was digging into the front of her shirt, Happy stretched it and Natsu got a much appreciated view down her front. He averted his eyes, suddenly feeling hot under his collar, and grabbed Happy's paws to force him to release her. The cat fell into the water with a loud splash, and Natsu and Lucy crouched over the bath to watch him try to crawl out of it. His attempts were unsuccessful, as Happy only slid back down due to the water every time he tried to escape. Soon enough, the two occupants of the room were grinning down at the cat as he wailed loudly, his wet fur sticking to him. The sight was truly endearing, even a little pathetic, but Lucy couldn't help but relish the revenge for all the scratches Happy had left on her skin.

"You were right," observed Lucy, eyeing the water. "The paint isn't colouring the water, I think your cat's going to stay blue forever."

"I told you," pouted Natsu, grabbing a bottle of shampoo. "I've tried many times, but I think it's permanent."

He offered the bottle to Lucy, whose eyes drifted between Happy and the shampoo, and she ended up shaking her head, too afraid that the feline would bite her hands off. "I think I'll pass. Why don't you do it? He likes you a bit more than me."

"Wimp," murmured Natsu, pouring a generous amount in his palm, before gently rubbing Happy's fur.

Lucy gently elbowed him, huffing at the remark, and he laughed as her elbow made contact with his side. He froze in his tracks when he noticed her evil grin, and shuffled away from her in fear that she might try something unexpected. She did not deceive, because as soon as he attempted to move away, she had placed her hands at his side, and Natsu found himself hunched over the bath, laughing uncontrollably.

"Please…stop," he let out between breaths.

"I didn't know the almighty Salamander was ticklish," she teased, refusing to listen to his plea.

"Come on, this is cheating!" he exclaimed, waving his arms in an attempt to free himself from her clutches, but it only resulted in him retreating back and falling against the wall with Lucy crouching in front of him, her hands now on both of his sides. "I have to bathe Happy!"

"Don't ruin my fun," she giggled.

Before she could truly enjoy her position of power, she was suddenly yanked forwards into the man's lap as a scream left her lips at the suddenness of it. Soon enough, Natsu had her roaring with laughter, her chest pressed to his, and her head on his shoulder. Her hands were pressed against his chest as she struggled to push herself off him, without much success due to his tight hold on her.

"Looks like I'm not the only one with a weakness, miss vigilante," he snickered out.

"Natsu," she cried out, dragging his name and hollering uncontrollably. "I give! I can't anymore!"

"Only if you admit that you're a wimp because of my cat," he said.

"I'm not a wimp! I'm not scared of a cat!" she shrieked out.

"That's not what I asked you to say," he replied, tightening his grip on her.

She was suddenly pressed tighter against his chest, and despite the rapid movement of his fingers against her ribs, she felt the outline his chest against hers, and realized how tight her thighs were wrapped around his hips. Feeling the all too familiar desire awaken within her, she slightly panicked and pushed against his chest with more vigour.

"Okay, okay, I give. I'm a wimp, please let me go now," she said, a bit too seriously for Natsu's liking, who was taken aback by the panic in her voice.

"That's what I thought," he let out jokingly, attempting to lighten up the suddenly somber mood with well-hidden concern in his voice.

His grip on her loosened, as his hands came to rest on her hips, and she raised her head from his shoulder to replace it with her hand. She looked down at him, and their gazes met. Both felt the sudden change in the atmosphere, as it became more electrifying. Natsu's gaze trailed down her face to fall upon her chest, still heaving from the intense torture she had been subjected to prior to their little moment, before going back up and looking into her eyes once again.

There was a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face, covering a part of her eye, and Natsu could not stop himself from reaching for it and tucking it behind her ear. Lucy drew in a sharp breath at the short contact, and one of her hands trailer down his chest to rest right above the waistband of his pants. She unconsciously licked her lips, her gaze fixed upon his slightly chapped ones, and Natsu felt a jolt of excitement travel up his form. He noticed the way she eyed his mouth, and the slight hesitation in her eyes that had been there since the day he had saved her in her small apartment. Against his better judgement, he brought a hand to the back of her neck, drawn by some irresistible force –he assumed it was her own charm-, and brought her head forwards until his lips were a mere centimeter away from hers.

Lucy could not comprehend what was happening until she was staring deeply into his eyes, and she quickly averted hers to the side, intimidated but the sudden proximity. Their previous similar encounters had been devoid of any emotional intimacy; they were only driven by their mutual attraction to each other. But after living with him for a few weeks, she had come to know him much better, and venturing down unfamiliar territory when feelings were starting to get mixed in was too dangerous for both of them.

Natsu noticed that way she seemed to be unable to look at him, and he vaguely wondered if he were making a mistake. But the way she unnoticeably ground against him assured him that the need to feel her was not one-sided. So when she looked into his eyes once again, he lunged forwards and tentatively brushed his lips against hers. He felt her freeze against him, and he retreated back only a breath distance from her to look at her expression, and give her the opportunity to push him away or to make the next move.

"What are you doing?" she mumbled with dazed eyes.

"I have no idea," he replied, his voice an octave lower than usual, and Lucy had to stifle a groan at the way its reverberation sent a jolt right down her lower stomach.

"We shouldn't do this," she continued, biting her lower lip, and disappointment washed over the pink haired man. "It's not going to work out between us."

"I know," he simply answered. "But I can't stop myself. I've wanted to kiss you since you woke up in my bed."

Lucy had felt the exact same urge as well, but had refrained doing it after that day when Lisanna had interrupted their little moment. So she threw all caution to the wind, and knotted her fingers in his hair before taking a deep breath.

" _Fuck it,_ " she groaned out, and her lips were immediately locked to his.

He was immediately kissing her back, his eager lips warm and soft against hers, exploring her inviting mouth as she drew in a shuddering breath into the intense lip lock. She gently tugged at his pink locks, pushing him further into the wall behind him, and he groaned in response, loving the slight pressure against his scalp. He mimicked the aggressive action by grabbing a fistful of her hair and biting her lower lip.

The tempo of the kiss was quickly becoming feverish, and more ravenous and primal as Lucy's hips ground unto Natsu's with energy, and he could not stop himself from invading the softness of her mouth and exploring every crevice with his tongue.

The hands there were holding her tightly against him fingered the hem of her –his- shirt, and she shuddered against him. He couldn't help but smile against her mouth, as his hands sneaked underneath the shirt, caressing the soft skin of her sides. She arched her lower back into him, and he slipped his hands over the curve of her backside, bringing her closer to his awakening member. She moaned softly as its contact with her aching chore relieved some of the intense pressure she felt.

Upon hearing the soft mewl leaving her lips, a flare of raw hunger jagged through Natsu, and he almost tore the top she was wearing in two. He opted for a slower approach, and grabbed the hem to slowly lift it up her form. His mouth was still connected to hers, and she raised her arms up to allow him easier removal.

Her head suddenly bumped into his, as she let out a loud shriek, and Natsu had to stop himself from letting out an embarrassing noise when he felt the cold wetness soaking through his shirt. They both separated, looking at the culprit, before they stared at each other once again. They burst into laughter, and Lucy got up from his lap.

"I guess we forgot Happy," she said, looking at the small cat as he wailed, jumping around in the water and splashing it everywhere. She plunged a hand in it, and winced slightly. "The water got cold," she concluded.

"I'll rinse away the shampoo in his fur. You should go change before you get sick," told her Natsu.

He offered her a crooked smile, and she flushed at the sight of his puffed lips and wild mane. A shiver ran through her form, and she looked down at the soaked top she was wearing, groaning in annoyance. She glared at Happy, who looked back at her with maliciousness, as if the feline knew what he were up to. She debated between thanking or cursing him, as she was both relieved and disappointed at the same time at being interrupted right when she was about to have a wonderful time with the equally wonderful man.

"Okay," she replied, cringing at how awkward she sounded, and scurried out of the bathroom, skipping towards his room.

She entered, and quickly closed the door behind her to lean against it, taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart. It was not normal for someone to be so good with their mouth, and make her feel so light headed with a simple kiss.

She rubbed her face in frustration, and ran a hand through her already ruffled hair. This was exactly what she had been trying to avoid, but her instincts had taken over as soon as he had brushed his lips against hers. She had craved the contact for so long that she could not help but have another taste of his sinful mouth, and it didn't disappoint. He had made her forget about everything; the bathroom, Happy, Hades, and even Aquarius, and she had a feeling it was distracting her from her real goal.

She sighed in defeat, and walked towards the closet to rummage through the shirts Natsu had told her she could wear, and blindly grabbed one to toss it on the bed. She removed the soaked shirt, wondering how a small cat like Happy could project so much water, and groaned when she noticed that the water had also soaked through her bra. She mindlessly removed it and tossed it aside, before pulling Natsu's shirt over her head.

She smoothed it down with nervous hands, and took a deep breath before exiting the room. She could hear Happy meowing _happily_ in the kitchen, and she followed the sound to find him sitting on the table with Natsu hovering over him with a can in his hands.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed, rushing towards him. "I just fed him!"

"But he's hungry," argued Natsu, putting the can out of her reach when she attempted to grab it.

"It's not good for him! It's unhealthy to eat so much fish!" she replied, jumping up to reach Natsu's hands. "He'll get fat!"

"I'm just trying to reward him for being a good boy in the bath," he said. "Positive reinforcement."

"Good boy my ass," sneered Lucy, giving up on the can as Natsu was a lot taller than her. "He almost ripped my shirt and soaked me! I should trim your claws, you stupid cat!" she exclaimed, staring at a smug looking Happy with anger.

"He's not the only person who almost ripped your shirt," mumbled Natsu, looking down at her, and Lucy stared at him with wide eyes, her mouth opening in surprise at his bold statement and at the sudden change in his demeanour.

"Wh-"

She couldn't finish her sentence because the pink haired man had pushed her against the table, caging her between his arms. She gulped noticeably under his heated stare, and opened her mouth.

"What are you doing?"

"Continuing where we left off before Happy interrupted us," he explained, his gaze fixed on her lips. "We've been interrupted enough times already, and I've wanted this for long enough."

"Wait," she stopped him, placing her hands on his chest. "We really shouldn't, this is a bad idea."

"I recall us working really well together last time," he teased, and she flushed. "You were the one who initiated it before, I'm just returning the favour."

"It's not the same thing," she said, her hands leaving his chest to grab the edge of the table, brushing against his arms on the way. Her back instinctively arched into his, and she let out a gasp as her chest brushed against his, the feeling accentuated by her missing bra.

"I want you," he replied boldly, putting a hand at her lower back to push her further against him. "I know you want me as well, but if you don't want this, then tell me to stop."


	11. Part XI

_"I want you. I know you want me as well, but if you don't want this, then tell me to stop."_

He could almost see the gears turning in her brain, as she debated whether to push him away or not. His eyes slid down her form, and he stifled a groan when he noticed that she wasn't wearing a bra underneath her shirt. Her nipples were deliciously pointing towards him and rubbing against his chest with every breath she took. He instinctively trailed the hand that wasn't holding her up her side to grab unto one globe, sneaking underneath her shirt and caressing the skin of her taut stomach. She stopped breathing for a moment, anticipating the contact between his palm and her breast, but he halted right underneath it, gently caressing the area with light feathered touches.

" _Fuck_ ," she breathed out shakily. How could someone affect her that much? "Don't stop."

It was the signal he had been waiting for, because as soon as the words left her mouth, he had captured her lips with his, eagerly kissing her. The hand underneath her shirt crawled out of it, and he grabbed her backside to pick her up and place her on the table. He reached for the hem of her shirt, and stopped kissing her for a moment to quickly pull it up and over her head. He threw the garment aside, and instantly reached for her mouth again to continue kissing her. His hand trailed up her sides to grab one breast, and he drew back and curved his back to catch a budding hard nipple in his mouth.

Lucy let out a pleased sigh as his tongue lapped at the hard bud, entwining her hands in his hair to push him further into the skin on her breast. He groaned at her action, and she let out a low moan as she felt the reverberation against her breast.

"Wait, wait, wait," she mumbled, pushing him away. He released her nipple with a wet _pop_ , and looked questionably at her through half-lidded eyes. "If we're going to do this, I have to at least be comfortable. My back hurt like a bitch last time."

Natsu laughed, kissing her once again, before picking her up and wrapping her legs around his waist, completely ignoring Happy who was still standing on the table and observing them strangely. He walked towards his bedroom, his mouth still connected to hers, and pushed the door open with his foot. He dropped Lucy on the bed and stood at the end of it, and reached back, tugging at the neck of his shirt to pull it over his head. It was an action that was undeniably arousing to Lucy, but she never understood how men managed to make something so simple look so attractive.

Natsu quickly removed his pants, and joined her on the bed where he resumed kissing her. He fumbled with the shorts she was wearing, and tugged them down her legs until she kicked them off somewhere in the room. His mouth trailed down her cheek to latch into the madly fluttering pulse of her neck, and she sighed at the feeling of the warm slickness of his tongue as it ran over the tender reddening skin. His mouth trailed lower on the column of her neck, his teeth grazing the softness of her throat, and his hands kneaded her breasts gently, the rough pad of his thumbs running over her hard nipples and teasing them between his fingers.

"Shit," she muttered, throwing her head back to give him more access to her smooth skin.

"What happened to French?" he murmured against her throat, before kissing the scar on her shoulder that was left by the knife. "It was really hot."

" _Ferme la_ ," she laughed.

"I have no idea what you just said, but hot damn," he growled out, and she felt his smirk as he trailed his mouth lower.

He sucked at the skin at the top of her breasts, and Lucy shifted as she fingered the hairs at the nape of his neck, yearning for something more from the young man. But he wouldn't budge, preferring to focus on her breasts, no matter how hard she tried to push him further down. She ended up impatiently pushing him off her, until he was sitting on the bed, and she pushed him on his back to straddle him, giving him a much appreciated view of her chest, marred with red spots he had left behind.

"You're so impatient," he chuckled.

She gave him a tentative smile, caressing the planes of his chest, and bent down to trail her mouth up the length of his throat, licking the scar he had on his neck, until she reached his ear. "I didn't get the opportunity to taste you last time," she said, taking the lobe between her teeth, and Natsu felt a shiver of pleasure go through him.

Lucy felt it, and she lightly scratched his chest, hard enough for him to feel it but not enough to draw blood. He instinctively grabbed her hips, and she ground against his hardening member. She bent down and licked a trail down his chest, until she reached his underwear, gulping at the apparent bulge at the front of it.

She looked up at him, and saw his eyes intensely fixed on her, and she smiled seductively, reaching inside to grab his length. He let out a gasp at the sudden sharp contact, and she pulled down his underwear to have easier access to his member. She stroked it slowly, testing the waters, and increased the tempo when Natsu started thrusting upwards to meet the movement of her hand, the muscles of his stomach contracting.

" _Fuck_ ," he hissed out.

Lucy smiled mischievously, looking down at his cock, and bent down to gently lick the head. His hips bucked wildly, and she slid her tongue down its length. Natsu moaned out, and she stopped her ministrations, momentarily taken aback by the sound, but accepting it as an indication that she was doing the right thing. She went back to staring at his dick, and took a deep breath.

_There goes nothing._

Her mouth suddenly engulfed him, and Natsu opened his eyes wide at the unexpected feeling of being surrounded by her moist warmth, unaware of the choking sound erupting from the blonde. She instantly released him when her gag reflex stopped her from shoving his whole cock down her throat, and she coughed loudly, as an alarmed Natsu sat up to look at her.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" he asked with worry.

"Yeah," she breathed out. "It was probably not a good idea to put the whole thing down my throat on the first try."

Natsu laughed at the absurdity of the situation, and she felt the fog of a blush rise up her cheeks. She stubbornly attempted to push him down on his back, but he grabbed her arms before she could reach him, throwing her down on the bed to hover over her.

"If you keep going, I'm not going to last long," he explained.

"How is that a bad thing?" she mumbled back, transfixed by his cloudy onyx orbs.

He smirked down at her. "Ladies first," he said, before he suddenly shoved a hand down her panties.

He immediately reached for the nub nestled deep within her blonde curls, coating his fingers with the wetness that had already collected there. He stroked it gently, bending down to seal her mouth with his in a passionate kiss, and she spread her legs wider to allow him easier access to her most intimate region. She sighed into the kiss, relishing the waves of pleasure washing over her as he probed and rubbed her. Natsu traced her lower lip with his tongue, and she opened her mouth to caress it with hers, unconsciously rubbing it in a movement that mimicked his fingers down south.

He increased the intensity of the pressure of his fingers on her clit, and she whimpered against his mouth, rolling her hips against his. Lucy felt the familiar pressure building in her lower stomach, and wrapped her arms around him to claw at his back. He seemed to realize, because his fingers left her, and she opened her eyes to look at him. She was breathing heavily, and her cheeks were flushed with pleasure, the rich colour coating her breasts. Natsu thought that it was the most enticing sight he had had the chance to behold, and it sent his already racing heart into a frenzy to know that he was the one causing this.

"Why did you stop? I was close," she breathed out.

"I know," he simply replied. "But I think you're going to enjoy coming into my mouth a lot more."

His warmth left her, and she was suddenly feeling his hot breath against her covered nether lips. He grabbed her panties, and shoved them down her legs to discard them. He bent down over her core to place her thighs on his shoulders, and she crossed her ankles on his back, caging his head, before Natsu grabbed a handful of her backside, and elevated her hips off the bed.

He dove in without hesitation, passion into his action, and spread her with his tongue to immediately start sucking gently at the skin right below her clit. She fell back on the bed, her hands clawing the pillow by her head to anchor herself as his tongue probed her moist inner lips. His mouth latched into her clit, and he sucked harshly. The intense pleasure ripping through Lucy made her legs shake, and one of them slid down his arm, before he grabbed it and placed it back on his shoulder. He pushed her ass back down on the bed, and sneaked an arm around her waist to keep her in place, as his other hand reached between her legs to gently test her opening. Deeming her wet enough, he eased his ring finger inside, groaning at the familiar tightness, and immediately added a second finger.

"Holy shit," she whimpered out, her hands releasing the pillow to grab fistfuls of his hair and tug at it. "Don't stop."

He complied, his fingers moving in and out, and his mouth sucking at the engorged nub. Lucy's hips bucked wildly, lifting off the bed, but Natsu's arm prevented her from moving by pushing her hips down into the mattress. She felt pleasure rapidly building, like a coil ready to snap, and her legs tightened their grip on his head. Her orgasm exploded through her without warning, pleasure coursing through her form and her muscles quivering around Natsu's fingers. The man did not stop his ministrations, still pleasuring her through her orgasm, and she had to forcefully push his head away from her overly sensitive intimacy.

"Stop, stop, stop, I can't anymore," she pleaded out, and a smirking Natsu emerged from between her legs, standing proud on his knees and licking the fingers coated with her juices.

Lucy dropped back on the bed, breathing heavily and attempting to gain back some semblance of control. Natsu crawled on top of her, his onyx eyes containing a feverish glint, and bent down to capture her mouth with him. Her legs twined around his hips, her heels resting above his buttocks, and she wrapped her arms around his neck to tilt her head and return the kiss.

She could feel his pulsating hardness nudge against her inner thigh, and she shifted slightly until it was resting against her core. She rolled her hips impatiently, urging the pink haired man to take action, and he grabbed his shaft and guided it to her entrance, entering her in one swift thrust. Her breasts bounced with the movement, and her loud moan was caught by his mouth.

Natsu put his hands on each side of her head, releasing her mouth, and drove into her with long and powerful thrusts. He was looking down at her flushed faced and tightly shut eyes, watching her mouth open in a silent cry, small gasps and moans leaving from time to time when he hit the right spot within her. He propped himself on his elbows, pressing his chest to hers, and placed his forehead against her shoulder in an attempt to ground himself from the pleasure he felt at being surrounded by her snug scalding warmth.

"Shit _, Natsu_ ," she moaned out, trailing her hands down his shoulders to clutch his biceps.

His ragged breath fanned in hot puffs against the sweaty skin of her collarbones, and she dug her nails into his arms. She twined her legs higher around his waist, trying to get him to hit the sensitive spot she was aiming for, and he gripped her hips to brace her, thrusting into her even harder and at a faster rhythm than before.

She could feel herself getting closer to the edge of her release, but she could only desperately whimper, biting the shoulder she was presented with. Understanding her pleas, he backed away from her, unsheathing himself, and she groaned at the sudden loss of him.

"You have to stop doing that whenever I'm close," she whined out.

The young man laughed and stood up on his knees at the end of the bed. His member was coated with her juices, standing proudly in front of him, and Lucy moaned at the enticing sight. Natsu smirked, watching her eye his shaft, and roughly grabbed her hips in a tight grip. She let out a small shriek, and suddenly found herself lying on her front, her sensitive nipples rubbing against the rough texture of the mattress.

Natsu grabbed her ass to bring her closer to his cock, both groaning when their centers rubbed against each other, before he sheathed himself to the hilt once again. Lucy squealed out, feeling him deeper with the new position, and arched her back to shove her face into the mattress and muffle the loud noises she let out.

" _Fuck_ , you feel so good," growled Natsu.

He resumed his thrusting, pushing against her sensitive spot with the head of his cock, and feeling his release approach rapidly. He reached down her front where they were both intimately connected, his fingers finding her clit, and he rolled it between his fingers. The action caused Lucy to bite the sheets and claw at the mattress in desperation, intense pressure soaring within her, her walls suddenly clenching painfully around Natsu. The young man groaned at the feeling, and bent down until his chest was pressed against her back to bite her neck.

Colours flashing behind her eyelids, Lucy screamed his name as she exploded, the sound muffled by the mattress. Her walls tightened spasmodically around his shaft, and Natsu slowed down his now jerky thrusting to allow her to ride out her orgasm.

A few thrusts later, his weight slacked on top of her, and it was his turn to still and release himself with a loud groan. Not wanting to crush her, he rolled off her to lay on his back. He reached for the breathless woman and hauled her to his side, his own breath coming in short gasps. He looked down at her flushed face, and saw a small smile on her lips. Her eyes were closed in bliss, and a few strands of blonde hair were sticking to her forehead. He brushed a lock of hair away from her face, and she looked up at him, smiling gently, and he felt his heart soar at the sight of her peaceful expression.

"Not bad," she declared, nodding to herself.

"Not bad?" exclaimed Natsu in an offended tone. "You were screaming my name, I think I deserve more than a _not bad_."

Lucy buried her face into his chest, and giggled heartily. "Okay, it was pretty great."

"I knew it was going to happen again," he said, curling his arm around her waist and trailing his fingers up and down her side. "Nobody can resist the Dragneel charm."

She lightly slapped her chest, and sat up on the bed. She jumped off, and walked away under his appreciative eyes, gazing down her naked form.

"Where are you going? I was comfortable," he whined out, spreading his arms.

"I'm going to get cleaned up," she replied, turning her head to wink at him.

Natsu noticed the white sticky mess running down her thighs. He grinned with pride, crossing his arms behind his head, and sighed deeply in content. Lucy came back a few moments later, and jumped into bed with him, laying her head against his chest and wrapping her arms around his waist. The young man circled her shoulders, caressing the area on the side of her breast, and she snuggled closer to him.

"I have to admit that I like this much better than the dirty bathroom," she said.

"At least this time you didn't flee," he murmured, and felt her squirm.

She looked up at him, and grinned sheepishly. "You can't really cuddle against a wall, Natsu."

"You could have at least told me your name back then," he pouted. "It was a pain in the ass to look into you. I had never read so many files in such a short amount of time before in my life. I don't think I want to read anything ever again."

Lucy chuckled against him, her nails grazing his chest, and Natsu felt his heart beat faster at the sound. He honestly hoped that she was too distracted to realize that his heartbeat was too erratic for his liking.

"Never? Come on, reading is fun," she stated, nodding to herself.

"You nerd," he teased her, trailing his hand lower down her side, before suddenly slapping her buttock.

Lucy squealed out, jumping in surprise, and pinched his chest. "Don't be mean!"

Natsu laughed at her frustration, and grabbed her thigh to drape her leg over his waist. "I'm not mean, I'm saying the truth! I bet you were one of those students in high school who always had their noses in their books."

Lucy reddened slightly, and bit her bottom lip. "…Maybe? But it's not like it's a bad thing, I had good grades! I bet _you_ were the class clown, and the guy who always got into trouble."

Natsu shrugged, his hand running over her thigh. It seemed like he couldn't stop touching her in any way or another. "I still got to where I am."

"In bed with a criminal?" she declared.

"If that's the case, then you're the worst criminal ever," he said. "You're more of a vigilante."

"You have to stop saying that," she rolled her eyes. "Batman is a vigilante, I'm just trying to get by."

"No, but hear me out," insisted Natsu. "You're an orphan, and you have a lot of money you inherited from your father, and you're kicking ass and saving women. You're the female version of batman," he concluded.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," she deadpanned. "I don't have that much money-"

"You think you don't, but you said that you didn't know how much your father left behind," interrupted her Natsu.

"-and I don't have a fancy car," she continued, ignoring his remark.

"Details," he huffed out.

There was a moment of silence where both snuggled to each other, bathing into the warmth of their embrace.

"So where do we go from here?" she asked.

"We wait and see," he replied. "But first, you have to stop running into danger. If you go after Hades again, I can't be there to save you each time."

She looked up at him in indignation, furrowing her eyebrows at him. "I'm not some damsel in distress! I can take care of myself, I've done so for years without you!"

"I know, but the closer you get, the more dangerous it becomes," he argued.

"I have to find Aquarius," she insisted. "I'm not dropping my mission because you told me to."

"We will find her," he said. "We're already looking for the women Hades has. We've bound to stumble upon her eventually."

"Eventually?" she sneered out. "I don't want to leave her with those men one more second. God knows what they already did to her. It's my fault she was taken, and I _need_ to get her back."

"What do you mean it's your fault?" inquired Natsu with a raised eyebrow.

He felt her sigh against his chest, as she traced the outline of the muscles of his taut stomach. "They were looking for me when they came to our house, not for her."

"That' strange," he muttered, thinking back to what he had found. "When exactly did it happen?"

"A few days after father died," she replied, and he felt her lips moving against his skin, eliciting a shudder from him. "I was leaving for school when I realized that I had forgotten my card-"

"For what?" he asked.

She smiled slightly, reliving old memories. "I was participating in this writing competition, and they were announcing the winners that day, and I had prepared a speech in case I won."

"I bet that you won," he remarked, remembering her unfinished book he had read a few days prior. She was indeed an excellent writer.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I never learned if my story even made it to third place, because when I went back to get my cards, Hades' men were at our house. I heard them talking to Aquarius, and I hid to listen to what they were telling her. They were asking about my whereabouts, but she refused to answer. I think that they cornered her, because knowing Aquarius, she would have fought."

"She seems to have had the same spirit as you," he observed.

"She was a lot wilder than I am," laughed Lucy. "She was ruthless and very strict, and used to constantly tease me about not having a boyfriend."

He could almost feel Lucy roll her eyes, and he grinned to himself. "Weren't you a bit too busy trying not to die to think about boys?"

"I was!" she exclaimed. "Either way, boys didn't interest me. It wasn't fun to have big tits and large hips at the age of twelve, and most of them only wanted to cop a feel because I reached puberty before the other girls."

"I like your big tits," teased Natsu, nudging her.

"Of course you do," she sarcastically answered, and he found himself thinking that he honestly liked everything about the spitfire of a woman in his arms.

He hummed into her hair, taking a whiff and grinning when he smelled his own shampoo. It made him feel strangely territorial, knowing that she had used something of his.

"You didn't finish telling me what happened that day," he said, "if you want to tell me of course," he added quickly.

"I-I really don't mind," she muttered, looking up at him once again. "For some reason, I trust you."

"I feel honoured," he smiled back, and Lucy reddened at the sight of his gorgeous grin.

"As I was saying, I was hiding, and listening to them interrogate her. They knew I went to school, so they left the house and took her with them to get me, and it was the last time I'd seen her. I only rushed inside the house to take the necessary things, and grabbed my passport and left France right away. I knew who they were, and how dangerous Hades was, so I chose not to take a chance."

"You used your real passport?" he exclaimed with surprise.

"At first, yes," she admitted. "I used the one with the name Céleste, but I was seventeen back then, and I didn't really know what being on the run meant. I quickly realized my mistake when I got cornered by a couple of men in Vienna."

"You beat them up, didn't you?"

"No," she shook her head slightly. "I was terrified! They were much bigger than I was and determined to take me. I was actually rescued by a couple of guys passing by. The only reason why I was saved was because there were much more guys than Hades' men. I hid with one of the guys for a short period of time, and he made me a new fake passport."

Natsu felt jealousy rising, knowing that another man had shared the same experience as him with the blonde woman. "Do you still keep contact with him?"

"I do," she nodded. "Loke's a really good hacker. A bit of a flirt, but a very smart guy, and I often need him."

"Loke, huh?" muttered Natsu, tightening his grip on her.

She looked at him quizzically. "Yeah, that's his name. Are you okay?"

"…Yeah, it's nothing," he said.

He really didn't like feeling so possessive of her, he didn't have any right after all. He was just sheltering her for the meantime, and they were in no sort of relationship that gave him the right to act like a jealous boyfriend.

"So," she carried on, "I used it to travel around and evade them, in the meantime trying to figure out what I should do about it. It wasn't long before guilt started eating at me. I realized that I had left Aquarius behind without even trying to help her, and I decided to come back to Magnolia."

"How long have you been here?"

"Two years."

He looked at her with surprise. "Two years? And Hades hasn't found you? That's surprising, you're really good at this."

She beamed with pride, honoured that an FBI agent thought that about her. "Thank you, Salamander."

"Do you have any idea why Hades is looking for you? Because it doesn't make sense to me," admitted Natsu, suddenly going into cop mode. "If I recall back what you told me a few weeks ago, he had threatened your father by telling him that he would take you if he didn't finance him, but you also said that he did give him money, for years. Hades is rich enough now with all the clients he acquired through the years. He doesn't need your dad's money anymore."

She shook her head in denial. "I don't know why he wants me, maybe he wants to add me to his girls?"

"He wouldn't go through the trouble of sending his men around the world for you if it were the case. There's a lot of girls closer to where he is that he could recruit. There's something more to it," concluded Natsu.

"You think it has to do with my father?" she asked.

"It would make sense, his death is what triggered the whole thing after all," replied Natsu.

"Yeah," she hummed in agreement. "I can't wait until he's behind bars."

"Me too," added Natsu. "This whole case is tiring me, and even though we found a lot of girls, we still have no concrete evidence that they're his. We know he's the one behind it, but we lack the proof we need to present in court if we ever find him. We're just hoping to corner him somehow."

"I'm certain that you will," she encouraged him, wrapping her arms tighter around his chest. "You're Salamander, you can do whatever you want."

He laughed slightly. "I'm not invincible. That's just a name given to me by the press."

"It's still impressive. You're the youngest cop to make it into the FBI, you should be proud."

"I am. I've always wanted to be one, just like my father was," he added.

"Was?"

"He died on the field," he explained. "I looked up to him a lot. Igneel was a great cop, and my goal was to be just a fraction as good as he was."

"I'm sure he would have been proud of you," she concluded.

"I hope so," muttered Natsu.

There was a moment of silence during which Natsu was lost in thoughts, thinking back to his old man. He had barely known his real parents as a young child, and Igneel had been the first person to give him any attention in the orphanage where he used to live. Future parents would usually look away or skim over him, intrigued by his pink hair, but would quickly dismiss him due to his fiery temper.

The truth was that he used to be a very lonely child only looking for attention, and Igneel had given it to him when his eyes had landed on the little wild boy with the odd hair, immediately deciding to take him back home with him. The following years had been the best years of his life, and he was thankful for all the love and affection Igneel had given him in the years they had been together.

"Hey, Lucy?" he asked.

He received no answer, and looked down at her face. She had her eyes closed, and was breathing deeply, and Natsu smiled at the sight of her relaxed face.

"I guess I tired you, huh?" he murmured, kissing the top of her head. "I better sleep too."

He snuggled closer to the golden haired woman, and closed his eyes in bliss. Soon enough, he drifted off to sleep, his dreams plagued by the woman in his arms.

-: :-

A few hours later, when Natsu opened his eyes, he groaned at the annoying sound of his alarm, and blindly reached for his phone to turn it off. His eyes slowly fluttered open, and he rubbed his face, muttering to himself about not getting enough sleep and having to go to work so early.

His negative thoughts were quickly dismissed when he remembered the wonderful night he had spent with the woman staying at his apartment. He grinned to himself, rolling over to look at the other occupant of the bed. His smile quickly dissolved when he found the spot empty, and he slightly panicked, thinking that she had left while he was sleeping. He was relieved when he heard the sound of dishes clattering in the kitchen, and quickly got up, grabbing his boxers from the ground and putting them on.

He skipped to the kitchen, eager to greet Lucy, until he saw that Happy was the one who caused all the ruckus he had heard earlier. The little rascal had managed to open the cupboard and sneak inside, pushing one of the pans to the ground.

"Happy," scolded Natsu.

He reached over to grab the cat, but the feline quickly escaped and ran away, and Natsu groaned in annoyance, bending over to pick up the pan and place it in the cupboard. He curiously looked around, wondering where Lucy was.

"Where did she go?" he mumbled, walking to the living room, but he found no trace of her.

He exited, slightly starting to panic, and found Happy standing in the middle of the hallway. "Do you where Lucy is?"

The cat loudly meowed, walking towards Natsu and rubbing against his legs, before walking away from his owner, looking back at the pink haired man as if to tell him to follow him. Natsu complied, and Happy trotted in front of him, until he came to a stop in front of the door leading outside. Happy meowed a second time, watching Natsu, and scratched the door.

"Fuck," cursed Natsu, coming to the realization that she had left when he saw that her boots were missing. He almost hoped that she had just left temporarily, but she had warned him that she would leave once her shoulder would. He didn't think that she would do it right after he took her to bed, and without bidding goodbye to him.

 _Meow_.

"She left," murmured Natsu, looking down at a whining Happy, and his heart twisted painfully both at the defeated cat and at his own sudden sadness. "I'm sorry pal, I know you liked her. I know the feeling, I did too, a lot."

He bent down and reached for him, grabbing Happy in his arms, and caressed the fur on his back as a comforting gesture. He sighed loudly, and walked away to get ready for his day at work, trying to stop himself from punching the wall or doing something even dumber–like following her-, when his hand caught something unfamiliar in his cat's fur. He fingered the foreign object, a thread of some sort, and frowned. Happy didn't wear anything around his neck, the feline usually hated it no matter how many times Natsu had tried to have him wear something before.

He grabbed his head, and pulled it up to look at the object, when he saw something metallic. He grabbed it, and his eyes widened when he recognized his old handcuffs' key that she had stolen from him when she had left him handcuffed to Jose's desk. He smiled to himself, shaking his head, and took it off the thread, putting Happy back on the ground.

"We'll meet again, Lucy," he mumbled, staring at the key. "That's a promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation: "Ferme la" - "Shut up"


	12. Part XII

Lying against the man's chest, Lucy stared down at Natsu's peaceful face with a tender smile. His true personality shone through the most when he was in deep slumber. He looked every bit like the small child he tended to act like by times.

Except last night; he had been _nothing_ like a small child.

She licked her lips at the memory of his strong hard body pressed to her softer one. She was pretty inexperienced when it came to sex, and she wondered if it was always as incredible as it had been with him or if he were only _really_ good at it. She suspected it was the latter; the man had an amazing physique and impressive stamina, perks of being an agent. She could still feel soreness between her legs, and it sent a warm tingle through her body to know that he had been there, making her feel all these amazing things with a single snap of his hips and that talented tongue of his.

She grinned to herself, placing her hand in front of her mouth to stifle the giggle bubbling up, and untangled herself from his embrace. It took some shuffling and wiggling to manage to maneuver herself, but when she finally succeeded, she sighed deeply and stretched her sore limbs. She stood up from the bed, and walked towards the bathroom to freshen up.

She half debated whether she should wake him up to ask him to join her, but gave up at the sight of his relaxed face. The man worked a lot, and was constantly tired. She preferred to let him rest a bit.

The hot water did wonders on her skin, washing away the sweat clinging to her. Sleeping in Natsu's arms was like bathing in a sauna. He had an almost abnormal body temperature, but it didn't seem to bother him one bit, nor did it bother her. It was comforting and warm, something she wasn't really used to.

She grabbed the soap and poured a generous amount on the sponge, and ran it over her body. The rough texture against her still sensitive skin made her shiver, and she let out a low moan when she ran it over her breasts. She groaned when she remembered Natsu's mouth sucking at her hard buds, and palmed a globe in her hand, sighing in pleasure. She had never expected that she was that sensitive in that area, but the pink haired man had awoken a multitude of sensations in her she had been a stranger to.

She flushed when she realized where her thoughts were diverting to, and retracted the hand that was sneaking down her stomach to finish her shower. She was afraid that she would wake Natsu up with her sounds. She would rather not be caught in a compromising position, no matter how attractive and arousing the idea of having him watch her do something like that sounded.

Lucy quickly washed away the soap from her body, and turned off the water to exit the shower. She tightly wrapped a towel around her wet body, and left the bathroom. She picked up some clothes in the room, her gaze trailing over Natsu's sleeping form, and quickly dressed up and left the room.

Happy was curled next to the fridge, and instantly perked up when he noticed the blonde women walking inside the kitchen. He meowed loudly, and Lucy bent down to pick him up.

"Not so loud Happy, Natsu's sleeping. We don't want to wake him up, right?" she murmured, caressing the soft fur on his back.

The small cat purred, rubbing its head against her chest.

"Are you hungry? I would love to eat something myself," she said, opening the fridge. She took out rests from their earlier meals and quickly heated them up. Happy maneuvered himself from her arms to stand up on her shoulder and observe her, letting out a low meowing sound from time to time at the smell of the food. Lucy grabbed some of the meat and placed it in a small plate, bending down to place it on the ground and to allow Happy to jump off her. He immediately dug into his food ravenously, and Lucy smiled down at him.

"Like owner like pet, you two only think with your stomach," she giggled.

She put her own food in a plate and grabbed the fork, walking towards the living room. She wanted to eat there because it was much more comfortable, and she could read at the same time.

She sat down on the sofa, and started eating. Hungrier than expected, she quickly finished her food without taking any break, and took the plate back to the kitchen to place it on the sink. She grabbed the novel she had forgotten on the table, and went back to the living room.

It was a story set in the medieval ages about a young guard who had been ordered to apprehend a famous thief by the king, until he discovered that it was actually a young woman, and fell in love with her. Natsu had been the one to bring it for her when she complained about being bored. He claimed to have picked it up randomly, but the redness dusting his cheeks told her otherwise. The story sounded too familiar, and Lucy had to push away and ignore the hopeful feeling spurting into her that told her that the pink haired man might be falling for her. They didn't know each other that well, and their attraction was purely physical, there was no way he would feel something for her.

At least that's what she tried to convince herself of.

She was about to sit back down and immerse herself into the story, when she noticed something peeking out of Natsu's desk in the corner of the room. It was a strange stack of paper that she had never noticed before, despite having cleaned the house multiple times, and it made her very curious.

 _I shouldn't be looking into his stuff, it's none of my business_ , she thought.

She opened the book at the page she was at –the part where the guard was confronting the king about his dishonest ways of taking advantage of the poor-, and started reading. It wasn't long before she lost focus, the words jumbling in her brain. Her gaze constantly travelled to the stack of papers, and she ended up putting the book down with a frustrated sigh.

The arrangement looked too familiar to her, especially considering that they were sheets that weren't even sold in Magnolia, but she recognized them from somewhere, and she knew that she had seen them before.

After hesitating for a few minutes, she gave in to the temptation, and crawled towards the desk to grab the stack. She frowned when she recognized them; she used to buy the same when she lived in France. It was a special type of highly resistant paper she used to print her stories on, and she wondered how Natsu got his hands on it.

The first page was blank, so Lucy quickly turned it to see if anything was written. She almost lost balance when she recognized her name on the next page, right under the name of the story. It was her own unfinished book, the one she had sent to Levy while she was on the run to tell her that she was still alive. Her best friend had been eager to read it, and Lucy had promised her that she would be the first to do so once it was finished. She couldn't think of anyone else to keep it safe.

Knowing that Levy worked with Natsu, he had probably asked the petite woman about her, and borrowed the book. Still, she was a bit frustrated that he hadn't mentioned it.

She ran her hands over the familiar texture, tracing the words she had written years ago when she was still a teen, and smiled to herself. It was a fantasy story about a princess and a dragon who had captured her, helping her escape the confines of her mansion by the same means. It wasn't very realistic, but back then, Lucy had only been trying to escape her own confusing life, choosing to write about something familiar to her own story, but very unrealistic at the same time.

She would probably cringe a lot if she read it, knowing how filled it was with clichés. But she would never demean it or look down at what her younger hands had produced; the story was dear to her heart, especially since Aquarius had complimented her on it.

" _I'm home," she shouted, putting her shoes next to the door. She hummed to herself, walking down the corridor towards her room, before stopping in her tracks when she saw something unexpected._

" _Aquarius?" she tentatively asked, watching the older woman sitting on Lucy's desk. She was clutching a very familiar stack of papers in her hands._

" _You're finally back," she scolded, her thick French accent coming through._

" _What are you doing? That's my book," said Lucy._

" _I found it on your desk when I came to pick up your laundry," replied the woman, putting it back in its place. "I got curious, I didn't know you were writing a book."_

" _I didn't tell a lot of people," Lucy said, fumbling with her fingers nervously. "Did you read the whole thing?"_

" _Don't worry, I didn't. I just read the first chapter," answered Aquarius. "A princess and a dragon, huh?"_

_Lucy reddened, looking down at her feet. "I like the idea," she mumbled shyly. "Princesses are gentle and nice, and dragons are ferocious and mean."_

" _Let me guess, there's going to be a knight later, and he will slay the dragon?" smirked Aquarius._

_Lucy looked up in surprise. "How did you know?"_

" _You're a predictable child."_

" _Sorry if it's bad," muttered Lucy._

" _It's not bad," said Aquarius, getting up from the chair to stand in front of Lucy, her tall frame towering over the young girl. "It's actually pretty good, just a bit predictable. You have to surprise people, give them something to think about. You still haven't written much, so you can go wherever you want from here."_

_Lucy looked up at her, hope in her eyes, and the ghost of a smile on her lips. It was rare that her guardian would compliment her like that._

" _I'll try to take it into a different direction," said Lucy confidently._

_Aquarius placed a hand on the blonde's had, patting her affectionately. "Here's an idea; dragons are not always the bad guys, and knights are not always as righteous as we think. Penses-y."_

" _I will," replied Lucy._

_Aquarius gave her a rare genuine smile, and moved past her to exit the room. "Now go do your homework, you brat."_

Lucy smiled at the memory, wiping the few tears that fell from her eyes. She had even listened to her advice, and turned the dragon into a helpful companion, and the knight into a greedy man who just wanted to marry the princess for the money.

Aquarius had always been encouraging in her own way, pushing Lucy to be a better version of herself. The older woman loved her despite never being vocal about her affection, and Lucy knew that. Having her taken away because of her made her feel terrible, for years, and she couldn't bear leaving her with Hades a second more.

Her expression turned somber when she remembered the man sleeping in the room. She had unexpectedly gotten too attached to him, just like she had feared.

She had a feeling that the longer she stayed at his house, the more dangerous it became for him. If Hades got wind of where she was, he would surely kill Natsu without sparing him a second glance, and she didn't want anyone else to get endangered and entangled in Hades' web because of her.

She quickly set her story back in its place, walked through the house towards the front door. She immediately grabbed her boots, and put them on before she could turn back and change her mind. She had a feeling that if she hesitated, or if Natsu woke up, it would become achingly hard to leave him.

She patted her boots, making sure that her gun was still well hidden into place. Her hand fingered something oddly shaped, and she put her hand inside the tiny compartment to retrieve the key she had taken from Natsu when they had first interacted. She smiled at the memory of how she had cornered him.

_Meow._

Lucy looked up, and saw Happy standing in front of her and watching her with curiosity. She smiled at the little cat, and stroked his fur.

"I guess this is the last time we see each other after all," she murmured.

Happy purred, nudging her hand.

"I think I grew to like you more than I expected, and not just you," she continued, her eyes trailing over Natsu's room's door.

She looked down at the key in her hand, and bit her lip. She stood up and walked towards the kitchen, grabbing a thread from the box of sewing equipment on the counter, and passed it through the key's hole. She tied the ends together tightly, and bent down to grab Happy –who had been following her-. After some resistance, she managed to place the key around his neck.

"Take care of this, would you?" she said, putting Happy on the ground.

She had a strange emotional attachment to that key, and she couldn't afford to be distracted and to get nostalgic whenever she saw it, so she chose to return it to its rightful owner.

She looked around the house one last time, and smiled to herself. Natsu would wake up soon to get ready for work, and she should leave before it happened, or she would cave in and choose to stay with him. The sun would also be up in a very short time, and it was safer for her to hide in the dark.

"Goodbye Happy," she told the cat, opening the front door.

She cast one last look to the homey apartment, and closed the door behind her. Her heart gave a painful tug, and she forced herself to ignore it.

She took a deep sigh, and walked out in the darkness of the night, not looking back once.

-: :-

"Lucy, I haven't heard from you in weeks! I thought you were dead or something," shouted Loke.

"I'm fine," she replied, winding at the loud sound and putting the phone away from her ear. "I had a small encounter with Hades' men."

"Did they hurt you?" he worriedly asked.

"No," she lied. "Sorry I didn't contact you. I was hiding somewhere I couldn't afford calling you. I just bought a burner phone."

"Are you leaving Magnolia?"

"I have to find Aquarius," she replied. "I won't be leaving until then."

"But Hades knows about you now, it's too dangerous!"

"I'll be okay! He's much weaker, the FBI caught a lot of his men, and stopped many of his operations. I think that I'm even safer than I was before they realized my existence."

"I would still be careful if I were you," he whispered at the other end of the line. "I wouldn't want to see that pretty face of yours damaged."

Lucy rolled her eyes, laughing into the phone. "Stop flirting, Casanova. Go back to Aries, or I'll tell her you're playing around with other women."

"B-but!" he sputtered out. "I would never do that! You pain me, Lucy. I am an honourable man!"

"I know you are," she said softly. "Thanks for worrying about me."

"Anytime, love. Call me whenever you need something else," he replied. "I don't know how long it will take me to get you what you want, but I'll try to get it as fast as I can."

"I will call you," she promised. "Thank you, and be safe."

She bid him goodbye, and put the phone in her pocket. She stared at her tired reflection in the cracked mirror of the crappy motel, and sighed.

"Well, here we go," she mumbled.

She picked up the scissors she had placed on the sink, and with a quick snap, cut off a majority of her long blonde hair. She trimmed the few unequal strands, until her hair was reaching below her jaw.

She looked into the mirror, and winced at how different she looked. She was a bit saddened to lose her blonde hair, her favourite feature. As far as she remembered, her mother's blonde hair was the clearest memory she had, and she was often told that she looked exactly like her due to her hair.

"Guess I'm about to look even more like a stranger now," she said to herself, opening the box of black dye. It was a temporary one; she was far too attached to the pale shade of her hair to make a permanent commitment, so she settled for the next best thing.

Two hours later, she peeked once again into the mirror, and was startled at how much different she looked. The short and dark hair surprisingly suited her, elegantly framing her face. But she wasn't there to make a fashion statement, she just didn't want to be recognized.

"Goodbye Lucy Heartfilia," she declared, running a hand through her new hair. "Hopefully no one will know that it's me."

She walked to the bed, and looked down at the gun and the knife she had placed there. She picked up the first weapon, marveling at its surprisingly heavy weight. It was been quite some time since she held it, and it brought her a certain sense on comfort and security almost as good as the one she felt while she lived with Natsu.

"Wow girl," she exclaimed, shaking off the intrusive thought. "You sound like a love struck woman, there's no time for distractions."

She placed the weapons in the hidden compartments of her boots. She loved those boots, and was glad to have bought them. She had found them while she was hiding in Spain, and instantly fell in love with them. At that time, it had been a must for her to purchase the pair, despite their price, but they had come in handy with time.

Lucy looked around the room, making sure that she got rid of any evidence she was there. She looked down at her outfit –dark skinny jeans and a nice low-cut white top-. Satisfied with her observations, she happily clapped her hands, and walked towards the exit of her room.

"Alright, time to party."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation: "Penses-y" - "Think about it"


	13. Part XIII

__

"You're going to explain why you woke me up at the crack of dawn on my day off or-"

"I'm getting to it," cut him off Gray, giving him a dark look. "I told you, something happened at the prison, and I don't have all the details either."

"Why do I have to be here?" whined Natsu with a yawn. "There's enough agents in the office to let me have my day off."

There was a pause during which Natsu came to an important realization his sleep deprived brain should have come to a while ago.

"Wait a second," he declared. "What does this have to do with us? Magolia's Police Department should be the one dealing with this."

"That's the issue, flame-brain, Erza told me that it's about the case."

Natsu gave him a blank look, as Gray stopped the car in front of the prison's impressive building next to the multiple other FBI cars already there. "You have to be more precise, we have a lot of cases going on, stripper."

"Fucking hell, you tire the shit out of me," groaned his partner, getting out of the car. " _The_ case, Hades' case!"

Natsu's eyes widened, and he grinned widely.

"You should have said so, I'm all pumped up now! Let's go inside," he exclaimed.

He rushed off, leaving an extremely irritated Gray behind. When he opened the front door, he was met by the sight of distressed prison guards running around amongst his fellow agents studying the place. Erza, who seemed to have been interrogating a terrified guard, was the one who noticed his presence first, and she excused herself to walk up to him, leaving a suddenly relieved man behind.

"Natsu, glad you're finally here," she told him. She looked behind his shoulder, and frowned slightly. "Where's Gray?"

"He's coming," he dismissed with a wave of his hand. "What happened?"

"We lost our prisoners," she explained, gesturing to Natsu to follow her.

Natsu frowned, but nonetheless obeyed, walking deeper inside the building. They were soon let through multiple automatic doors, before coming to a halt in front of a row of cells. Various officers were walking around the place, inspecting the cells, and Natsu saw that they were _all_ empty.

"Where are the prisoners?" he asked, looking around.

"They were transferred this morning. We didn't want them watching the investigation," said Erza.

"The investigation?" he repeated, puzzled.

That was when he finally saw what the fuss was all about; two of the cells were wide open, and multiple individuals wearing white coats were standing inside. He saw the bodies on the ground before he realized that they were forensic pathologists, and that he _definitely_ knew who the victims were.

They were the two men he had found at Lucy's apartment the day they had come to take her. One of them was hunched over his bed, blood colouring the otherwise white mattress and the white prison uniform. The sight wasn't gruesome in any way –he seemed to have been killed with a single bullet to the chest, most probably shot through the closed door.

However, the other man suffered a much worse fate. He was lying on the ground at the far corner of his cell. Natsu suspected that he was killed after the first man when he saw the intruder shoot his friend. He had tried to escape or hide, but the small room didn't offer much coverage. There was a larger amount of blood pooling around his body due to the multiple balls shot into him and _through_ him – two in his chest, and one that quite literally blew the back of his head, reminding him of the picture he had seen of Lucy's mother.

"Well, shit," he muttered.

"Language," reprimanded Erza with a glare. "As you see, we have a big problem here. We needed them for the investigation. They were the closest thing to Hades we had."

"We still have Cobra," commented Natsu. "He's closer to Hades than these were. We'll somehow manage to make him talk. A deal for his sentence should do the trick for a man like him."

"It would have had a high chance of working, but it would be very hard now considering that we lost him as well," sighed his boss, rubbing her temples. "Cobra is-"

"Cobra's gone," said a voice behind them. "He escaped last night."

"Elfman," nodded Natsu, shaking the giant's hand.

Elfman, Mirajane's brother, had been the supervisor of the prison for already a few years. It was handy to have him, especially since Natsu knew him before he started working there. It was a lot easier and faster to interrogate and speak to detainees.

"Good to see you both," he said.

"How did this happen? I thought that the prison was well guarded. There's no way a man like him could have escaped such high-level security," wondered the pink haired agent.

"I'm aware of that," he mumbled. "He didn't do it alone. The guard that was on duty yesterday night was killed as well. Someone killed him and these two men, and freed Cobra."

"You're saying that someone _infiltrated_ the prison?" asked Natsu with a raised eyebrow.

"It's a possibility," he elaborated. "The cells here are locked mechanically, like every modern prison. There's no way to open them unless someone does it from one of the control rooms outside."

Natsu frowned, his eyes trailing over the numerous cells. That _someone_ had to be very sneaky and very professional to be able to do all of this without getting caught.

"Can you show us Cobra's cell?" said Erza.

"This way."

Cobra's cell was in the next corridor, in which the prisoners were still sitting in their cells considering that there were no bodies to be inspected. It was a perfect replication of every other cell in the hall; small with a simple bed, a sink, and a toilet. Any other forms of entertainments for the detainees were in the communal center of the prison, where the prisoners would usually be taken every morning.

"Nothing's out of the ordinary," muttered Natsu, looking around the small room. "Did the cameras catch anything?"

"No," denied Elfman. "We found out that they were hacked, and from the outside. Someone got into our system, someone _very_ good at what they do if we took this long to realize that something was wrong."

"Do you know when Cobra might have escaped?"

"We think it was during the night between 12 and 1AM. We found a loop in last night's footage. It's easier to play a loop with the prisoners sleeping on their bed, that's why we didn't notice it until much later," added the big man.

Natsu looked up at the camera in the corner of the room. It was strategically placed to capture the whole room. There was no way someone could break out of there without being seen. Someone helping Cobra was the most plausible explanation, and knowing Hades' entourage, it surely wasn't a surprise that he would have someone that talented working for him.

"Are you sure that no other camera caught him?" said Natsu, exiting the cell.

"Pretty sure, man," groaned Elfman. "We watched all the footage from last night, nothing came up."

"What about the perimeter? Did anyone check it before we showed up?" asked Erza.

"We've checked all the exits as soon as we found the bodies. We thought that he might still be inside," said the bigger man, "but there was no trace of him. All the doors are intact, there was no breaking out."

Natsu and Erza perked up at the piece of information, and shared a knowing look.

"No breaking out you say? That means that they had a key," said Erza. "It could have been stolen from one of the guards."

"The doors have scanners, people can only exit with a card key belonging to the guards," explained Elfman. "They're individual ones, and each person has a different chip installed in their card. We can already rule out the killed guard, because he still has his card on him. It couldn't have been his."

"That's even better," grinned Natsu. "If we know whose card it is, we might get even closer to the culprit."

"Is it possible to look at the history of the scanned entrances?" inquired Erza.

"Yes it is. We track the entrances daily, it shouldn't take that long to get the information" informed Elfman.

"Perfect. Gray should be on the crime scene, take him with you. If you can also provide him with the list of everyone who was on duty last night and everyone who works here, it would of great help."

"Already on it, Erza," nodded Elfman.

Both watched as the Strauss walked away, and Natsu's gaze went back to the corridor. There weren't many people inside the cells, most of them were actually empty. The few prisoners sitting in their cells were simply staring silently at the two agents.

"Hey Erza, do you think that one of the prisoners saw what happened last night?"

"We've already interrogated the prisoners in the other hall," she replied. "They didn't see much since it was dark. Most were sleeping, and the others claim to have seen a shadowy figure roaming the halls. One of the prisoners mentioned seeing the intruder shoot the two men, but once again, it was too dark for him to discern anything."

"No luck then?"

"Unfortunately not."

"What about the ones with Cobra?" he said, pointing to the empty cell.

Erza shook her head once again. "No luck there either."

_-: :-_

Lucy pushed her freshly dyed hair out of her face, and huffed in annoyance at the unexpected sight awaiting her.

There were far too many guards at the entrance of the location.

She had been unable to find another shady club in Magnolia, but had not given up on looking. Her research had led her to a strip club this time. It looked positively inoffensive from the outside, and even had good reviews online, praising the good treatment of the women working there. Lucy doubted that –Yukino had insisted on the fact that most sex-workers in strip clubs in Magnolia were also part of the ring. Hades would put the women who didn't get enough clients or women who had unfortunately caught some sort of disease from his clients there. He believed in getting the most profit off the merchandise until it was unusable and disposable.

Those who were no longer of use to him had a _much_ worse fate that she would rather not think about.

The white haired woman had vaguely described the strip-club, having worked there for a short while when she was too young to attract enough clients. It had led her to this place, and she was almost a hundred percent sure that it belonged to Hades, especially since Cobra had also been seen in there.

If her calculations were right, the increase in the number of guards was to give the illusion of security.

Lucy took one last deep breath, pulling her shirt further down her chest and exposing a big part of her cleavage. Maybe the sight would divert the doorman's attention from her face.

Walking confidently, she made her way towards the door, and stood in front of the big man. He reminded her of Kain. She often wondered what had happened to him that night. Natsu had never mentioned him during her stay at his place, and she assumed that he had never been caught.

"ID please," he groaned out in a deep voice, completely ignoring her displayed _décolleté_.

Lucy should have not felt offended, but deep down, she was. She liked to think that she had a good pair, usually hard to ignore by most men, but this one seemed too dedicated to his job to pay attention to any distraction.

"Yes, of course," she replied, wondering why he needed it when she clearly looked over the age of eighteen.

She took out her –fake- ID from the purse hanging off her arm. She handed it to him, and he looked at the picture, before looking back at her face. Lucy glimpsed at the camera standing in the corner of the door, and patted her short hair to make sure it was hiding her face.

The big man took no notice of it, thinking that she was fixing her hair, nodded to himself in approval. He moved out of the way, and she smiled easily at him, entering the loud place.

At first glance, Lucy had to fight off the urge to grimace at the sight of the grinding women on stage, undressed in various states, and the lecherous men drooling over them. There were many of them, some seemed almost too young to be involved in such a business, but knowing Hades, he probably made sure that all his women were at least of age.

Aquarius was young when she had lived with her, and was an aggressive kind of pretty, one that usually pleases men. It would be no surprise to find her in a place like this, except that Hades would not let her wander in such a public place.

"Hey pretty, when are you getting on stage?" shouted a man walking towards her.

He was obviously drunk, swaying from side to side and tumbling over his own legs.

"Not now," she smiled uneasily, trying to fend him off.

"Come on, show us those tits," he chortles, spit flying out of his mouth.

He attempted to grab her arm, but she pushed him away. He groaned angrily at her, and Lucy feared that she would have to fight him if he kept persisting. Thankfully, he didn't press any further. His attention was stolen by a topless woman passing by, and he chose to follow her like a puppy, his gaze fixed on her bouncy breasts.

"Men," she rolled her eyes. "All the same."

Observing the place, she noted that there weren't many women inside. The few of them were sitting in groups, and Lucy assumed that they coming to party or for the experience. But one particular woman caught Lucy's gaze; she was sitting in a corner, sipping on her cocktail, and looking around with amusement. She was dressed tastefully –too tastefully for the place, and Lucy recognised the _business woman_ look on her.

Making up her mind, Lucy chose to sit on a table a few feet away from her, close enough to have a full view, but not enough to attract attention. She had a perfect view on her profile, and the long painted nails tapping the table impatiently at a rhythmic pace. She had long black hair, and seductive smirk on her face that had many men turning their heads, but her intimidating dark eyes had them scurrying back to where they were coming from –at the front row of the show up by the dancers on stage.

Lucy ordered a drink from one of the waitresses walking past her, regrettably choosing an alcoholic one. It was already suspicious to be one of the only two women sitting alone, and it would attract more attention if she chose something non-alcoholic.

She feigned observing the dancers on stage, waiting patiently for a sign.

_-: :-_

Natsu's gaze was fixed to the big metallic handle that seemed to be taunting him. To say he was pissed was an understatement. He was supposed to be talking with Cobra during the week, and try to coax information about Hades' hideout, but it seemed like they were back to square one again with no witnesses able to help them.

He scoffed, and quickly pushed the invasive thoughts away to examine the handle. It was on the door through which Cobra left. The database revealed that it was the only door that had been unlocked during the night, and that the card key used belonged to one of the guards – a guard who wasn't on duty the night before, and most importantly, one that they've been unsuccessful contacting.

"Nothing's out of the ordinary," said Gray, standing at his side. His gaze shifted to the camera. "Elfman was right, there's no way anyone can hide from the camera unless it was rigged."

"Let's see if they left something behind. Can you please open the door?" he asked the guard accompanying them.

The man nodded, and grabbed the card hanging from his uniform to press it against the recognition site next to the door. It beeped loudly, and Natsu pushed the door open to be welcomed by the sun.

"The alarm's loud, it should have alerted someone when they got out, especially during the night," commented Natsu.

"The command rooms are very isolated, it's not surprising that the other guards who were on duty didn't hear the sound," replied the man.

Natsu thought for a moment, before nodding and following Gray outside.

The midday sun was bright, and Natsu had to squint his eyes at the blinding sunlight. There was a garbage disposal container a few feet away from the door –the one belonging to the prison-, and visible wheel markings next to it.

"Look at this," grinned Natsu, walking towards those, and bending down to observe them. "The person might not have been that smart after all."

"They had a vehicle, and a big one," concluded Gray.

"Why would they need one for two people?" pondered his teammate.

"I think it takes more than two people to pull off such an operation," laughed Gray.

Gray was right –If the intruder went inside, someone had to infiltrate the system. The vehicle was parked right next to the prison, which was close enough to obtain a direct connection. Even the cameras surrounding the building had been hacked.

Natsu cursed to himself; if only the prison hadn't been isolated and outside of Magnolia. Someone might have seen what happened, and given them information on what type of vehicle it was-

_Holy shit._

"Gray," carefully said Natsu. "There's more cameras as we go inside the city, aren't there?"

"I'm pretty sure there's a few on the way," replied the dark-haired man. "But I know what you're thinking, they probably hacked those too."

"That's doubtful, those are government properties and don't belong to the prison. They would have had to pull off a much bigger operation to access the control system, which is in the city," grinned Natsu, getting up and clapping his hands happily.

Gray smiled at his partner. It wasn't by luck that Natsu was called The Salamander. He could be very smart when he was determined, but Gray would never admit it to his face.

"I'm going to phone the center. I'm guessing that we're looking for big vehicles between 12 and 1AM?"

Natsu nodded. "There shouldn't be that many. We can narrow it down to a few and check them out."

"On it," said Gray, getting back inside the prison.

Natsu looked back at the traces on the ground and frowned with worry. By losing Cobra, they had to look for another way to find Hades. As far as they knew, he was the only person close to him that they were aware of, and it would take ages to find someone else, especially since Hades knew that they were after him.

But what troubled him the most was the fact that the now dead men and Cobra were the only ones who came in direct contact with Lucy. With Cobra back with Hades, it would easier for the dangerous man to track her and recognise her.

Hopefully the footage would allow them to find Cobra before Lucy decided to rush into danger once again.

_-: :-_

It wasn't long before Lucy made her move.

As soon as the suspicious women took her phone out of her purse to answer a call, the blonde woman perked up expectedly, and watched her walk away into the private area where women would give private shows to wealthier clients.

As soon as the dark haired woman got up, all eyes seemed to be watching her every move, and the way her wide hips would swing from side to side. But the dangerous aura she emitted stopped anyone from approaching her, and Lucy almost stayed put, apprehensive at the prospect of being caught following her.

As soon as she disappeared behind the dark curtains, Lucy got up and slowly following, looking if someone had noticed her intentions, but everyone seemed preoccupied by the dancers of by their jobs.

Walking inside, she was met by a dark hallway, strangely reminiscent of the hidden basement she had found at Grimoire Heart. Only the screams of pleasure were missing, replaced by various types of music coming from each room.

It was the only other area in the strip club, and if the mysterious woman had anything to do with Hades, Lucy was certain that she would surely find something there or someone important enough to lead her to Aquarius.

She kept walking through the rooms, ignoring the ones with music coming from the inside –there were some things that she would rather not see-, and occasionally peeked inside some of the rooms, frowning when she found them empty.

"Where did she go," she muttered under her breath.

Her question was answered rather fast, when she heard the sound of heels clicking on the floor. She quickly opened the first door she could reach, and entered the dark room before closing it behind her and putting her ear on the door.

She could hear a woman talking, and laughing from time to time, and a deeper voice belonging to a man.

"We've got him, it was a successful operation," said the feminine voice.

"I'm glad to hear that, let's just hope that the fool didn't talk to the FBI. That would make running the ring much harder than it has become," replied the man.

"There's an easy solution to that," laughed the woman. "I would be glad to take care of it for you."

"We will see-"

Lucy's attention was cut short when she heard someone groan behind, and froze up in panic, slowly turning around. She had not anticipated for someone to be there.

"Why are you interrupting my nap?" moaned the voice, belonging to a man.

"I apologize," she smiled nervously, watching the male sit up on the sofa. "I thought you were my client for the night."

"I don't have time for this," he grumbled, and she observed carefully as the dark outline of his arm reached for the lamp next to him. "I just got out of jail and that's the shit I'm getting? I can't even rest a little bit before I have to go see boss."

The room was lit up, and Lucy almost gasped when she recognised the man she had put to jail; Cobra was sitting on the sofa, rubbing his eyes and yawning. She quickly looked away, cursing her bad luck, and listening to see if the voices she had heard were still there.

"I've never seen you around here," he commented. "Are you one of the new girls?"

"Y-yeah," she stuttered out.

"You're a hot one," he chuckled, and she heard him get up from the couch to walk towards her. "I'd like to try you some time."

She held her breath in anticipation, and shuddered in disgust when she felt his hand on her lower back.

"You've got something good going on, I get why boss took you in," he laughed, and trailed his hand lower to grad a fistful of her backside.

She jumped back, leaning against the door, and raised her head to look at him through the strands of hair falling in front of her face with wide eyes. He was watching her with surprise, before smirking at her startled expression.

"Aren't you a feisty one? You don't seem like you know how it works here yet," he said, leaning closer to her face. He placed his mouth next to her ear, and whispered. "We get to decide what to do with you, and you don't have a say in it."

She felt his hot breath fanning over the shell of her ear, before his wet tongue traced it. Lucy yelped in surprise, pushing forcefully against his chest, and he tumbled back.

"Who do you think you are, girl?" he bellowed out. "We own you! You don't get to decide what is done to you-"

He froze in his tracks when he finally saw the gun pointed at him, and stared in shock as her previously startled expression turned determined and threatening.

"Don't fucking move or say a thing," she warned him, "and try to keep your hands to yourself this time would you?"

"Shit, since when do we allow you to have guns?" he blurted out in fear.

"I told you not to say a thing," she repeated, raising her arm to point the gun to his face. "So would you shut the fuck up so I can hear if someone's outside?"

His eyes followed the motion, and he opened his mouth to say something, before quickly closing it. His gaze went to her face, and he narrowed his eyes in recognition.

"Holy shit, you're the girl who got me in jail!" he exclaimed in bewilderment at the revelation. "I never thought I would see you again! What happened to that hair of yours?"

"I never thought I would see you either, and I needed a haircut" she replied coolly, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Now, do I have to repeat myself or shoot you?"

He quickly shut his mouth, before smirking at her. "Good luck with that," he said, eyeing the weapon in her hand. "I don't see a suppressor on that gun, a rookie mistake my dear. As soon as the guards hear it, they'll storm in here, and you're about done."

Lucy almost growled in frustration, but kept her eyes on him. "Do you think your body can suppress the sound if I shove it down your throat? With the loud music outside, I think that I have a good chance of leaving unharmed if I try that."

He paled considerably, gulping noticeably.

"That's what I thought," she said.

She went back to listening, her gun still pointed at him. She couldn't hear anyone outside, except for the music coming from the stage. She had a good chance of escaping if she left now.

"Turn around," she told Cobra, and the man wordlessly complied. She walked up to him, and pressed the barrel of her gun to his back.

"This seems too familiar," he said. "I'm half expecting your agent boyfriend to storm inside and arrest everyone here."

The remark surprisingly annoyed the young woman, who pushed the gun further into him.

"He's not my boyfriend," she replied.

She looked around the room for something that would help her, but other than the lamp and the sofa, all she could see were the stereo in the corner of the room and bottles of alcohol for the clients who needed to let loose.

"Shit," she mumbled, "I guess I have no choice."

"Wait!" shouted Cobra, alarmed. "You're not really considering shooting me! You'll never get away with it! The guards will catch you-"

Before he could say anything else, Lucy had struck him in the head with the butt of the gun, and watched his motionless body fall to the floor.

"Thank fucking God," she said to herself. "This man can't shut his trap."

How did he even escape the prison anyway? As far as she knew, the prison Natsu had mentioned him being taken to was a high-security prison. Cobra was far too predictable and idiotic to be able to escape by himself –what kind of man gives in to a stranger's interrogation about a prostitution ring after barely a few tries?-, and he looked too inessential for Hades to go through the trouble of setting an operation to get him out of there.

She shrugged off, and pushed her thoughts away, before opening the door and going out. She went back to the club, and quickly sneaked out.

Cobra had mentioned meeting with the boss, and she expected that someone would soon come and get him to take him to Hades. When they'll find him unconscious, they will search the whole club, and she would have no chance of escaping. It was better to leave without information than to get caught, and possibly killed for all the trouble she has caused them.

She feigned being slightly drunk to walk past the guards, and they didn't even spare her a glance. When she got far enough from the place, she took out the burner phone –she always kept one on her- and dialed Loke's number. She waited for him to pick up his phone, and watched the entrance, looking for any sign of the mysterious woman that she know knew was linked to Hades.

" _Hey princess, I didn't think I would hear from you so soon,"_ he said as soon as he replied.

"How did you know it was me?" she mused.

" _My heart always tells me when you're trying to contact me, la mia bellezza,"_ he said in a seductive voice. _"Also, who else would call me with a burner phone?"_

"Right," she laughed lowly. "Do you have what I asked you for?"

" _Hold on love, I know I'm a smart guy but you're asking me for the impossible!"_ he exclaimed indignantly, and Lucy rolled her eyes at the image of him waving his arm theatrically around himself.

"Loke," she insisted.

" _Why do you need the information so soon for?"_ he asked, and she heard him shuffling around and typing rapidly on his keyboard.

"Let's say that something cut my investigation short, and I didn't find what I was looking for," she said. _I'm going to have to change my hair again, Cobra sure was a surprise_.

" _Well, thankfully for you, I can do almost anything, and this is one of those things_ ," he continued _. "It took some intense hacking, and I would spare you the boring details, which can be resumed to typing furiously on the keyboard for hours and cursing every time I came across a firewall-"_

"You're a genius," she exclaimed, stopping his tirade.

" _Thank you my dear,"_ he said jovially, but his tone quickly became serious. _"I found something, but I'm afraid that I don't have information that is precise enough for you."_

She quirked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

" _Your bank account is not the only thing your father left behind,"_ he explained. _"I dug deep into every Fiore's bank's archive, and I found a file under your name in Magnolia's Royal Bank."_

"That's a heavily secure bank," she stated.

" _It is. It's mostly for high amounts of money and for royalty, hence the name,"_ he joked.

"Did father leave money in there?"

" _No,"_ he denied. _"He didn't leave any money behind, except for the money he left for you, which isn't that much. I looked into it, and it should last you a few more months in you use it. Everything he had was used to pay his debt, and the rest was given to charity."_

"But I though the bank was only used to store big amounts or money!"

" _Of course not,"_ he huffed, as if it were obvious. _"It's also used to store important files and documents, such as wills or birth certificates. I suspect that your father left some sort of important document. For what? That's something I can't tell you. Your file is private on the database, and all I could get from it was a number for a safe deposit box. You father paid a lot of money to keep it that way."_

"What could he have kept there for me?" she exclaimed in astonishment. "He left no money, so there's no reason for there to be anything I need."

" _But it's the only thing left under your real name,"_ said Loke.

"Do you think it has something to do with Hades? Is that why he has been looking for me all those years?" she whispered worriedly.

" _I-I think so_ ," he let out, uncertainty coating his words.

"What is it? Why are you suddenly hesitant?" she asked.

" _I-listen,"_ he continued. _"I lied. It's not the only thing I found."_

"Keep going," urged him Lucy.

" _Your dad claimed the safe deposit box shortly before his death,"_ he said. _"Exactly two months, right when he was starting to lose money."_

"What?" she whispered loudly into the phone, before looking worriedly around her in fear of having attracted some unwanted attention. Thankfully, the guards were still watching the club. "Two months? This isn't a coincidence, Hades must be looking for me to access the box. I'm starting to believe that father had planned all of it before he took his life."

" _He probably was, listen-"_

"Well, hello there," said a feminine voice behind Lucy.

She froze in her tracks when she felt the unmistakable pressure of a gun to the back of her head, completely forgetting that she had a phone in her hand. It felt odd to be at the receiving end of the gesture, as amusing as it sounded, but Lucy was just convinced that her brain was trying to lighten the mood.

" _Lucy? Lucy? Are you still there?"_ asked Loke.

"Now, say goodbye to your little friend, and let's go and have a little chat between girls," said the woman.

"I-" she stuttered out. "I have to go, I'll see you soon!"

" _See you soon? Lucy, what's happening-"_

The communication was cut short when a hand grabbed the device and snapped it in two.

"Turn around," ordered the woman.

Lucy complied silently, almost groaning when she saw that the person was the mysterious woman she had followed inside the club less than two hours earlier.

"You're a smart one, Heartfilia," she smirked. "It was very hard for us to finally get you."

"Who are you?" asked Lucy defiantly.

"You can consider me a friend," she chuckled, "or something like that. My name is Minerva."

Lucy tried to recall if she had heard that name before, but to no avail. She had never seen the woman before, but she seemed to know who she was.

"Why don't you give me your gun? It would make this much easier."

Minerva raised an eyebrow, looking at Lucy's boots, and the blonde wordlessly took out her gun to hand it to the black-haired woman, eyeing the weapon in her hands.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you," she said, noticing the way Lucy's eyes looked wearily at the weapon. "You're far too precious at the moment. Plus, I wouldn't want to injure that pretty face of. Maybe I can ask boss to let me borrow you for a night. I bet you would love feeling my whips on your skin."

Minerva licked her lips appreciatively, trailing her eyes down Lucy's form. The latter grimaced both in disgust and fear. Was everyone in Hades' circle as crude and disgusting, no matter their gender?

"Come on, let's walk back inside," continued Minerva, gesturing with her gun when she was done with her second of _admiration_.

"Why are you taking me back inside?" asked Lucy.

"Why? To meet Hades of course," she laughed.

Lucy felt her heart stop, and her legs almost gave out from under her.

She wasn't getting out of this one easily this time.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation (from Italian): "la mia bellezza" - "my beauty"


	14. Part XIV

"We've got seven of them," declared Gray, waving a document in his hand as he entered his and Natsu's office.

Natsu groaned lightly, frowning at the news. "That's more than I expected, it's going to take us time to find the right vehicle."

"Stop complaining, fire-breath," scolded him Gray with a roll of his eyes. "Tech is already on it, so you can just sit on your ass and wait for them to pinpoint which vehicles are suspicious."

He crossed his arms behind his head, and leaned against his chair to place his feet on his desk. "I'm not complaining," he pouted. "It's just that we were so close to Hades, and I feel like we just lost all the progress we achieved. I should have known that something like this would happen, Hades would never leave someone as close to him as Cobra in the hands of the FBI."

Gray sighed, sitting down on his own chair and stared at Natsu with surprising seriousness.

"Don't beat yourself up, it comes with the job," he said. "Sometimes we find something, and sometimes we hit a wall. Think about this as a fence, we just have to get over it."

"Are you trying to comfort me?" smirked Natsu, raising an eyebrow.

Gray folded his arms in front of his chest and looked sideways. "No," he grumbled. "I'm just saying that you shouldn't worry too much."

Natsu sobered up, thinking about the blonde woman who stole his heart. He hadn't heard from her in a few days, and he was getting increasingly worried.

"I'm worried about Lucy," he declared after a few seconds of silence.

Gray looked at his with surprise. "Lucy? You mean the blonde chick?"

Natsu nodded, his gaze faraway. "Yeah. She's the one who helped us get Cobra, and now that he's out of prison, it's just become that much more dangerous for her."

"Now that you mention it, we haven't heard from her in ages. You used to come across her every now and then. Do you think she gave up going after him?" asked Gray.

Natsu almost laughed. Oh how he wished she did give up her suicide mission.

"I doubt it," he replied. "She said that she wouldn't stop until she found her guardian. Hades' circle is getting smaller with every person we catch, I fear that she'll get too close to him and that it would end badly."

Gray hummed in acknowledgement, and truly looked at Natsu for the first time in weeks. He could see the bags under his eyes and the paler-than-usual colour of his skin. The concern seemed to be keeping him up at night, he really was anxious about the blonde woman's whereabouts.

"We can't do anything for now," he declared. "But if we find the right vehicle, it'll take us straight to Cobra, and if they're as stupid as I hope they are, it'll also be the same place where we will find Hades. Once we put him behind bars, your woman will be safe."

Natsu smiled, grateful that his friend was trying to lift his spirits up.

"Then I'm all fired up for this shit!" he exclaimed, pounding his fist into the palm of his hand. "And she's not my woman!"

"Yeah right," huffed Gray.

Before Natsu could retort anything back, Gray's phone rang, and he picked it up, gesturing for Natsu to wait.

"Agent Fullbuster," he replied. "Yeah-Perfect, we'll be there."

Gray placed his phone in his pocket, and stood up from his chair.

"Come on, Salamander," he told his partner. "Mira's asking for us. We have a call."

-: :-

Every time Lucy pulled, the ropes seemed to get tighter around her wrists.

In all fairness, the woman who called herself Minerva seemed to be good at tying people up, according to the vivid descriptions of what she wanted to do to Lucy in bed –or anywhere else for all that mattered.

It wasn't far fetched when Lucy thought to herself that she should slightly worry, as she squirmed uncomfortably under the intense gaze of the said woman, who was watching her with an amused smirk pulling at the corner of her lips.

She had brought her back to the strip club, and sat her down on a chair in the middle of a room similar to the one where she found Cobra. The man himself was standing a few meters away from her, looking at her with a scowl on his face, and anger in his eyes. Lucy swallowed, thanking the gods that Minerva chose to send someone else to fetch her boss instead of going herself and leaving her alone with the man.

"So," she started carefully, alerting the two other occupants of the room, "what do you guys want from me?"

"Boss will tell you," replied Minerva. "It's not our place to inform you of his plans."

"Can I perhaps have a small hint?" she tried again. "A girl has to be prepared to face him."

"A girl has _to shut the fuck up_ ," snapped Cobra, walking closer and standing in front of her. "I should shoot you right here and now for what you did to me. You're lucky that boss needs you."

Lucy glared at him, "and I should have killed you earlier."

Cobra smirked, crouching at her level. "Wouldn't it be beneath you to take someone's life? It would tarnish a good girl like you. You're too innocent for this kind of life, Heartfilia."

Lucy spat in his face.

"I'm no good girl," she sneered out. "You took my innocence the day your people killed my mother!"

Cobra wiped his face with his sleeve, keeping his calm the whole way through, and Lucy smiled internally at the sight of him trying to control himself, until his hand shot out and grabbed her by the throat. A choking noise left Lucy's lips, and she watched him with horror as he smiled evilly and tightened his hold.

" _You_ _bitch_!" he laughed humorlessly, "I'm going to enjoy humiliating you once boss is done! I'm going to make you suffer for everything you did! From the way you tricked me into trusting you, throwing me in jail, knocking me out, and for the disgusting way you just disrespected me! You want it dirty? I'll make it as dirty as you'd like!"

By the end of his tirade, his face had gotten red and he was screaming in her face. Lucy struggled to let air in, and her face was rapidly turning purple from exertion and lack of air.

_Fuck, I should have called Natsu earlier when I found Cobra here._

"Cobra," interrupted Minerva calmly, and Lucy wished that she could scream at her to help, because her vision was turning blurry. "You're going to kill her, leave the girl alone."

Cobra squeezed one last time, snarling at the blonde woman, before abruptly releasing her neck. Lucy doubled over, breathing in deeply and rapidly, and trying to get as much oxygen as she could. "Start counting your days, blondie."

" _Fuck you_ ," she rasped out, looking up at him.

"Don't worry, you'll be doing that once boss is done with you," he replied back.

Lucy didn't have time to insult him back before the door opened, and a man peeked inside. "Boss is here."

-: :-

"We have a call on hold about Hades," said Mirajane, looking at the few agents sitting in the office. Natsu instantly perked up, and looked at her with eagerness.

"Another lead?" asked Erza.

"I'm not sure about that," replied Mirajane. "We have a kidnapping case. There's a young man who claims that Hades took his friend."

"Do we have a name?" said Laxus.

Mira looked at her computer's screen. "A certain Lucy," she declared. "It could be the Lucy from the case."

Natsu's felt his heart stop as his fear came to life, and Gray watched him with worry, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We don't know if it's her, we shouldn't jump to conclusions too fast."

"Put the guy on speaker," said Laxus. "It'll be easier for us."

Mira clicked a few buttons, and spoke up. "Hello? Sir, are you still with us?"

" _Y-yeah_ ," replied a young man's voice. Natsu could discern the hind of an accent, but he could not pinpoint where it was from.

"You said that your friend was taken," said Laxus, "why didn't you call the police?"

" _Because I know that the FBI is the one responsible for Hades' case_ ," answered the young man, surprising his audience.

"Are you certain that this has to do with the man?" said Erza.

" _Yes ma'am. She was looking into him at the time of her disappearance_."

"Where were you when it happened?" demanded Natsu, his tone slightly accusatory.

There was a pause on the other line. " _In Italy_ ," he said slowly.

Natsu frowned. Italy? Now that he thought about it, Lucy did mention that she had met someone in Italy when she was running away from Hades' men as a teenager.

"Are you Loke?" he asked.

The young man gasped. " _Y-yeah, that's my name. How do you know that?"_

"Lucy mentioned you," he replied. "Can you please tell us exactly what happened? We need all the details."

" _Of course,_ " replied the man. _"She called me earlier this morning. I hadn't heard from her in weeks prior to that-"_

"Why did she call you?" interrupted Erza.

" _She was looking for information about her family_ ," he answered, " _and I told her that I would try my best to get her what she needed. She called me later at night, asking if I found what she needed, and I told her that I did."_

"Can you tell us what you found?" demanded Erza.

" _I'm not sure I can do that_ ," hesitated the young man. " _She wouldn't want to-"_

"Listen," cut him off Natsu. "If you want to help us find her, you have to tell us everything you know. If what you're saying is true, and if Hades has her, her life is at stake."

Loke sighed. _"Alright, but I doubt this will be helpful_ ," he said. _"I found that her father left her a safe deposit box in Magnolia's Royal Bank-"_

"Do you know what's inside?" asked Laxus.

" _No_ ," he denied. _"I couldn't access the file-"_

Loke suddenly stopped talking.

"The file?" repeated Erza. "This is private information. How did you find it?"

" _I'm good with computers_ ," answered Loke. " _Listen, I know it's illegal and everything, but I didn't find anything, I swear!"_

"This is not important right now," insisted Natsu. "Tell us what happened."

" _Yes, of course_ ," he said. " _I was telling her about my findings, when she suddenly stopped talking and told me that she had to leave. We have a secret code whenever she's in trouble. It's_ I'll see you soon _. We chose it because I live so far away. I instantly knew she was in trouble when she said that, and the second after, the communication was cut off."_

"Can you tell us where she was?" said Gray.

" _I don't know about that,"_ he answered. " _All I know is that she was looking for something concerning Hades, because she told me that she didn't find it during the phone call."_

"Can you recall anything else? Did you hear anything suspicious during the call?" asked Natsu.

" _No_ ," denied Loke. " _Well, there was some loud music in the background, but it was quite far away-"_

"Loud music?" repeated Gray. "She must have infiltrated a club once again, like that one time at Grimoire Heart. She must have found a lead about Hades' girls."

"Is there anything else you need to tell us?" asked Erza.

" _That's all I know,"_ replied Loke. _"Please find her, she's my friend."_

"Don't worry," reassured him a determined Natsu. "We will."

-: :-

Minerva and Cobra straightened up, and suddenly turned serious. The man left the room, and the door opened wide, letting an older man in. He was dressed in what Lucy assumed to be an expensive and rather tasteful suit, and had an eye pad similar to a pirate's on his eye. His white hair was very long, accompanied by an equally as lengthy white beard. Strangely enough, the first thought going through Lucy's head was if he conditioned his beard as well when he showered.

"Boss," acknowledged Cobra and Minerva simultaneously.

"Cobra," replied the intimidating man. "It's good to see that you're well. How has prison treated you?"

"R-rather well," stuttered out the man, looking at his feet in shame.

Hades hummed in responded, and looked away to focus on the other woman. "Well done getting Cobra out of prison and catching Miss Hearfilia, Minerva. I expected nothing less from you."

"I'm just doing my job," she bowed down.

When he finally looked at Lucy, the young woman gulped noticeably under his stare. Even with one eye, he radiated danger, despite his calm demeanour.

"Miss Heartfilia," he said, and she watched him with apprehension. "I have to admit that you look quite different than I thought, the short hair suits you beautifully."

Lucy glared at him silently.

"I'm happy to finally meet you. I apologize for the way my subordinates have treated you," he smiled.

"What?" she blurted out.

"You are not our prisoner," he added, before looking at Minerva. "There's no need to tie her up."

"Sir, she's dangerous-" argued the woman.

"Miss Heartfilia will cooperate," he insisted.

Minerva slowly nodded, and untied Lucy's hand. The blond woman rubbed her sore wrists, sitting wearily on the chair.

"You've caused quite a bit of havoc for us," he said. "I've lost an important number of girls and locations for my ring-"

 _Good_.

"-but all of that can be forgiven," he smiled. "It can all be undone, and you could walk out and go back to your regular life."

"Under what condition?" finally spoke Lucy.

"I need one favour from you," he said. "You see, back when I was… _working_ with your father, he went behind my back and collected quite an amount of material against me."

"My father is dead," she hissed. "Anything he had on you is irrelevant right now, because he will not be able to use it."

Hades simply smiled in acknowledgement, a smile that would have appeared kind had Lucy not known who the man standing in front of her was.

"How old are you, Miss Heartfilia?" he asked.

"…twenty-Five," she replied slowly.

"Do you know how many years a safe deposit box is kept in Magnolia's Royal Bank?"

_Loke was right, he's after that._

"I don't know," she answered.

"Ten years," he told her. "Your dad opened one for you almost seven years ago, right when he started collecting information about me. I was aware or it, of course, but I didn't stop him, because I knew that I needed his money to keep growing my business. After all, your dad also knew the consequences of his actions if he had revealed anything about me to the police. That's why he took his own life. He knew that losing his money was a deal breaker for our business."

"Why do you need me for this?" she asked. "Can't you break into the bank or something? You broke into a high security prison. You obviously have the means to do the same thing again."

Hades Chuckled, and she heard Cobra snort.

"The prison is outside of the city, while the bank is right in the middle of it. It would bring too much unwanted attention. It's also nearly impossible to break in, the level of security is three times higher than the prison. Plus, it's surrounded by two police stations," explained Hades.

Lucy frowned. "I had no idea the box even existed until you told me." _A lie_. "The information inside is not going to leak, you could just leave it there."

"I would have," he said, "but going back to a previous point I made, a safe deposit box is kept for ten years there, before the bank contacts the owner to validate a renewal. Now, let's imagine what would happen two years from now when the bank contacts you-"

"The bank has no means of contacting me," argued Lucy. "I was on the run, from _you_."

"Don't cut him off, you bitch," bellowed Cobra, striking her across the face.

Lucy almost leaped out of her chair to punch him, but chose not to in fear of getting shot by Minerva.

"Cobra, this is not the way to treat our lovely guest," he warned him.

"Sorry boss," apologized the man.

"Asshole," groaned out Lucy.

"You're right, the bank cannot contact you. You've been off the map for years after all. I must congratulate you for that, we haven't been able to locate you since Italy all those years ago. But here you are, coming to us and offering yourself on a silver platter," he chuckled, crossing his arms in front of him.

"What happens when the bank won't be able to contact me?"

"If the intended person cannot be contacted by the bank, the box is either renewed by a close relative –which you don't have-, or its content is thrown away if the bank deems it irrelevant."

"They cannot go through something that is not theirs," she interjected.

"Sure they can," replied Hades. "The owner loses his right to its content if the box is not renewed. Now, let's go back to our scenario. Once the bank fails to contact you, the box becomes their property, and once they realize what's inside, the police would have the necessary information to incriminate me and put me in jail. I do not exactly know what your father had on me, but I would rather not take the risk."

"Why would I help you?" she snarled out, glaring at the man. "You took everything from me –my family, my freedom, _everything_. You abuse your power, and use women as if they were your property. I wouldn't lend a hand to the likes of _you_."

"Let's not make some rash decisions here," smiled the man. "You're going to have to reconsider what you just said, because I can help you if you help me."

"What can you possibly offer me?" she smirked.

"Answers," he simply said.

"Answers?" she repeated.

"To anything you want. Don't you want to know what happened to your mother, to your father, to _Aquarius_?" he taunted.

-: :-

"We found the vehicles," declared Mira, storming inside the conference room. "We were able to dismiss four of them. We have three suspicious ones, all of them vans."

"Three is still a lot," said Natsu.

"Tell us about those vehicles," demanded Erza.

"Alright," replied Mira, opening the document in her hand. "We have one unregistered van sighted near a house in west Magnolia, one found downtown parked at the back of a strip club, and the last van was located near Grimoire Heart."

Gray winced. "They all sound very suspicious."

"The one near Grimoire Heart is most likely the one we're looking for," said Natsu.

"I doubt it," replied Erza. "The area is still heavily monitored after we closed off the club. I don't think Hades would take the risk to be found out, he's smarter than that."

Erza was right. There was still an important amount of officers watching the area, and more than a few cameras filming it at all hours of the day.

"Then what about the unregistered one? It's easier to get rid of it," suggested Gray.

"No," whispered Natsu, deep in thought. "Hades would not want to attract attention by using an unregistered vehicle. The police often verify who the owners of the cars are as part of their protocol, especially the big ones."

"Brat's got a point," said Laxus. "The last choice we got is the strip club."

"Didn't Loke mention loud music?" stated Gray.

There was silence in the room, as everyone looked at Gray.

"That's probably where Lucy is. If she doesn't know about Cobra's escape, then she's in great danger," declared Natsu, springing out of his chair. "Let' go."

 

 


	15. Part XVI

"Yes, thank you," said Gray, before putting his phone away.

"Bad news?" asked Natsu, noticing his gloomy expression from the corner of his eye.

"Yeah. They found the owner of the key Cobra used to escape," he replied.

"Any lead?"

"He's dead," revealed his partner. "His body was dumped somewhere in a park."

Natsu growled in frustration, his eyes fixed on the road and his grip tightening on the wheel. He couldn't wait until they got to their destination.

" _Shit_. I hope we're right about the strip-club, I'm at my wit's end here with this case."

"I know how you feel," sighed Gray, slumping against the passenger seat.

-: :-

" _Don't you want to know what happened to your mother, to your father, to Aquarius?"_

Lucy's eyes widened slightly, and she stifled a groan coming up at the back of her throat.

"I believe that you've been going through all of this for her," he continued, pacing around the room, "and I think that she would want you to find her."

"Where is she?" demanded Lucy stiffly, clenching her hands into tight fists. Despite being a generally non-violent person unless necessary, her hands were itching to just grab the knife she hid in her boot and sink it deeply into his body.

"That is for me to know, and for you to figure out," he mused.

"She had nothing to do with this, and you took her," exclaimed Lucy, all her repressed anger resurfacing, "all she did was take care of me like I was her family! She was _my_ family, the only family I had after you broke mine!"

"And I can give you back your family, if you accept to retrieve the content of the box for me," said Hades. "It's very simple; all you have to do is go there and get it, and I'll give Aquarius back to you."

"Why should I believe you?" she glared at him. "What tells me that you won't kill me right after I get you what you want or add me to your girls like you did to all these innocent women?"

"You make a point," he nodded pensively. "I could very well do that, but what choice do you have? Would you rather die?"

"If it gets you behind bars, I would gladly give my life than become one of your pawns," she retorted.

He stared at her for a few seconds, before a small smile stretched his lips. "You're just as feisty as your guardian. She was a spitfire, did you know that? She fought longer than I thought she would, but like all the other women, she gave up after being passed from man to man, used like she was nothing but their toy to be used like they want-"

"Stop," whispered Lucy, her nails digging into her palms, and images of her guardians begging and screaming going through her brain.

"-because she was nothing to them, nothing to me. She was just a woman who got in the way, a woman who ended up knowing too much for her own good-"

"I said stop!" she shouted.

She lunged for the man, aiming to for his face, but before she could touch him, Cobra had grabbed her by the throat and pinned her to the ground. Her head banged loudly on the floor, and she groaned when white hot pain shot behind her eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?" he laughed. "Boss is being merciful and offering you an escape, and that's the way you thank him?"

"Mercy?" she laughed with difficulty. "You call this mercy? No merciful man would make innocent women go through all the pain you make the girls go through, no merciful man kills a little girl's mother in the room next to hers!"

"You should do what he's asking from you if you value your life," he taunted once again.

"Cobra," said Hades, "there is no need for such violence. I'm sure that Miss Heartfilia meant no harm."

"I meant all the harm," she groaned out, still struggling underneath the man.

"We shouldn't have released her hands, who knows what she's planning to do," said Minerva, who had been silent until then.

"Miss Heartfilia understands that if she does anything brash or unwelcome, she should be ready to face the consequences of her actions," calmly added Hades, staring pointedly at Cobra.

"But, boss," argued the man, "she is obviously not going to help us. We should kill her or offer her to some of the men before she does something dangerous. I would be very happy to be the first to show her what exactly those consequences you mentioned are," he smiled down at her.

The hand that wasn't around her throat reached past her stomach, and grabbed her breast tightly. Lucy groaned in pain, shifting around to try and escape his hold, but he pinned her down with his body. When she tried to move her legs and kick him, he trapped them between his, and she watched in horror as the hand on her breast reached past the hem of her shirt to graze the skin of her stomach and the underside of her breast. She thrashed around to try and free herself. She wanted to scream at the other two to help her, but all she could let out was a pitiful terrified whimper.

"Cobra," warned Minerva.

The man chose not to acknowledge her, his hand still exploring her chest. It seemed like he only answered to Hades, but the authority the man had on him seemed to have disappeared as soon as he jumped on Lucy.

She wondered if that was how she was going to die, violated by a violent man under the eyes of even more violent individuals. She would have at least fought until the end, and would have not given up. But her train of thought was interrupted when she heard a loud gasp close to her ear, and felt something wet on her face. She thought it was her own tears, until the man above her fell heavily on top of her, and she realized that the wetness she had felt was his blood seeping from the wound at the back of his head.

-: :-

Natsu parked the car next to the club, and exited to wait for the other car to park. He watched as Erza's and Laxus' car parked next to them, before observing the place. The club was noisy, and there were many guards outside, much more than there were at Grimoire Heart.

"Look," said Gray next to him. "That's the van."

Natsu turned his gaze and saw the vehicle. It was a big black van that looked very ordinary from the outside.

"Come on," said Erza after she left the car. "Let's go inside."

The four of them walked towards the entrance, before being stopped by the intimidating doorman. He reminded Natsu of Kain, and he found himself wondering what happened to that man. He had probably left the business after what transpired at the club, or at least Natsu hoped.

"ID please," demanded the man.

Laxus took out his badge, and shoved it into the man's face, whose face quickly paled out at the sight of the metallic badge.

"Ah-yes, you can go," he stuttered out, and Natsu almost snickered at the sight of the intimidating man cowering under Laxus' gaze. His superior was truly a force to be reckoned with.

-: :-

She silently watched in horror as Minerva tucked her gun at her side. She walked towards them, placed her foot at Cobra's side, and proceeded to push him off Lucy with her heel.

"Thank you, Minerva," said Hades. "I apologize for this, Miss Heartfilia. I had planned to get rid of him earlier, but your appearance here had been unexpected and I had to put a halt to my plan. I am still thankful to have kept him around as long as I did. After all, I wouldn't have figured out you were here without him."

Lucy stayed silent, and brought a shaky hand to her face to wipe the blood. There was so much of it, and it was seeping inside her white shirt, coating the top of her chest. She had not seen that much of it since the night she had found her mother dead in the living room after the people who killed her left, and the sight of Cobra's body brought back bad memories.

"We need to get rid of the body, would you please call someone to take care of it?" he asked.

Minerva nodded, and promptly exited the room, leaving behind a still shocked Lucy and a surprisingly calm Hades.

"You-you shot him," she whispered in horror, her gaze still fixed on the body. "He worked for you and you killed him."

"I would kill thousands of my men if needed," he replied, a bored look on his face. "Now, where were we?" he said, staring at a bloodied Lucy. "Ah, yes. As I said, all your little…mishaps can be forgotten if you give us the content of the deposit box."

"Never," groaned Lucy, averting her gaze from the cadaver and standing up to stare defiantly at him. "I would rather die than help you."

Hades chuckled, shaking his head to himself, his beard following the movement.

"You are a tenacious woman," he added, "but I know how to make you agree to help us. How about I raise the offer?"

Lucy reached into her boot, and took out the knife hiding there. "How about I kill you and leave? That would make things easier for all of us."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he replied, his tone becoming more menacing. "Do you think I'm an idiot? I wouldn't stay alone with a dangerous woman without having some sort of protection with me."

He took out his own weapon, a gun that was safely hidden at his side underneath his vest, and pointed it at the young woman who cursed under her breath.

"Now, place the knife on the ground and push it towards me," he ordered, and Lucy promptly followed. Hades lowered his gun, but kept it in his hand once the knife reached him, and looked up at her again. "For my offer; if you agree to help me, I will release Aquarius and let her go."

Lucy's composure slightly faltered in surprise. It was exactly what she had been after all those years. She would finally see Aquarius again!

"Where is she?" asked Lucy.

"She's in one of my whorehouses in Arcadia," he answered. "She would be very happy to see you."

"How can I be sure that you will maintain the end of the bargain?"

"You can't be certain," he chuckled. "But what do you have to lose? Would you risk the only chance of seeing her walk free that you'll get?"

Lucy pondered for a moment; Hades was right. If she didn't help them, they would do as they please with her. Kill her, rape her, or add her to the prostitution ring. But if she did, she would have the chance to walk free with Aquarius, but the FBI would lose their only chance of incriminating Hades. That is if he maintains his end of the bargain, and doesn't simply kill her right after she gives him what he wants. Her best option was to cooperate. Maybe she could alert the FBI on the way…

"Alright, I will help you," she agreed reluctantly.

Hades smiled widely, and Lucy shuddered at the sight.

"Perfect. We will get along very well, Miss Heartfilia," he said. "We will proceed in a few days-"

"Boss!" interrupted a distressed Minerva, barging through the door. "We have a big problem."

"What is it?" he asked, obviously annoyed.

"The FBI," she started, her eyes alarmingly wide. "They found us."

-: :-

As the four officers made their way inside, they were welcomed by the half-naked dancing women on stage, and the screaming men waving their money around. Natsu grimaced at the sight, and quickly looked away to see if anything suspicious would catch his eye.

"We should go to the back," suggested Gray. "If Lucy is here, they would have taken her there."

"You and Natsu, go see what you can find. We'll talk to the customers here," replied Erza.

Both nodded, and walked towards the curtain hiding the private area of the club.

"See if you can hear anything suspicious inside these rooms," said Natsu, pointing at the doors. "But don't get inside unless you're certain, we don't have a warrant to search the place."

"You don't need to tell me," his partner rolled his eyes. "I went to the academy too, you _ass_. I know how it works."

Natsu chuckled to himself, before venturing deeper into the place. There wasn't much music the further away from the stage he went -in fact, he couldn't hear anything at all. It was truly suspicious. There were a lot of people in front of the stage, and the private rooms should have been full as well. So why were the ones at the back unoccupied?

Natsu didn't have time to think any further before he heard someone run towards him. He quickly hid behind the wall, and watched as a young woman walked past him. She opened one of the doors, and barged inside.

His eyes widened in shock when he saw the very man they were looking for; Hades was standing in the middle of the room as the woman alerted him of their presence, looking at something he couldn't see from his angle.

-: :-

"What do you mean they found us? How could this be possible?" he bellowed out, losing his composure for the first time that night. "There's no way they could have followed us here; we were very careful!"

"I don't know boss. I was making arrangements for the body when the doorman told me. I saw two of them interrogating the bartender," she explained, before her gaze went to Lucy. "It was probably her. She must have alerted them."

"I don't have anything to do with it," argued Lucy, who was internally squealing with joy. "I am not in contact with them. You're the ones who underestimated them."

"It doesn't matter," said Hades. "We have to leave, prepare a getaway for us, Minerva. We have to leave through the backdoor before they get here."

"It won't be long," she nodded, leaving the room once again.

"We're going to leave- _oomph_!"

As soon as Minerva left the room, Lucy had jumped on Hades, elbowing him right into his stomach. He staggered backwards, his breath knocked out of him, and dropped the gun the held in his hand. Lucy quickly grabbed it, putting some distance between them, and pointed it at him.

-: :-

Natsu, still hidden in the shadows, followed the woman with his eyes as she left the room and walked further down the corridor. There was someone inside with Hades, but he couldn't properly hear their voice.

When the woman disappeared, he walked out of the shadows and approached the door, leaning against it to hear what was happening inside, when his eyes widened in surprise; it was Lucy! He recognized her voice, and she was threatening to shoot the man!

As an FBI agent, Natsu shouldn't have felt proud of her for overpowering the man and even acquiring the gun to threaten him, but the blonde was full of surprises and resources, and he couldn't help but admire her.

He turned on his earpiece, and waited patiently for the connection to be made.

"Erza, Laxus, call for backup. I found Hades."

-: :-

"You're making a mistake," Hades breathed out, his hand on his sore stomach. "Minerva will be back, and you will have to follow us."

"I'm going to kill you," warned Lucy, ignoring his words.

"You won't ever see Aquarius if you do."

Lucy smiled smugly at him. "You told me that she was in Arcadia, I think you gave me enough information to track her down."

"I lied, she's not there," he retorted. "All my ladies are in Magnolia; I don't have any in Arcadia."

Lucy clutched the gun tighter in her hand, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Then where is she? Tell me!" she bellowed out in anger. "Tell me or I won't hesitate to kill you, you've caused me enough pain as it is, me and all these women you took away from their homes!"

"I will tell you, but only if you give me what I want," he repeated.

"The FBI will be here in a few minutes," said Lucy. "Do you really think that Minerva will be able to organize your escape in such short notice? Face it, you're screwed. Just give me her location, you've done enough harm."

Hades laughed humorlessly, staring at a point past her head. "You're right, I am most definitely screwed. There was a very slim chance for me to escape from the beginning, and when you pointed my gun at me, that chance became even smaller. But if I have to go down, I will make you suffer one last time."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, "suffer?"

"Your guardian is dead," he revealed, a cruel smile on his lips. "She's been dead for years."

Lucy froze in her track, staring at him with wide eyes and a half-open mouth. Her hold on the gun loosened, but she caught herself before it could fall from her grasp.

"I believe that nobody notified you about this. It's a shame, really. She was a truly feisty woman, but she put up too much of a fight and it cost her the biggest price: her life," he explained, the cruel smile never leaving his lips.

"You're lying," whispered Lucy. "She's not dead, she can't be dead."

"How does it feel to know that I took all your family away from you?" he continued, slowly advancing towards her. "I'll tell you how it felt for me -it felt _good_ , it felt so good to destroy your life and watch your futile attempts at getting her back!"

He howled with laughter, throwing his head back, and Lucy felt her eyes fill up with tears. All hope left her -she didn't want to believe what he was telling her, but deep down, she knew he was right. Aquarius was a spirited and spunky woman, and would have rather died than let them take her and use her to their hearts' content.

"Stop laughing," she hissed out, raising her gun higher. "I'm going to kill you for what you did."

"Empty words," he replied, his laughter dying out, "you're not going to kill me. Would you give up what's left of your freedom to stain your hands with my blood?"

Lucy pressed lightly on the trigger, her hands shaking uncontrollably and unshed tears blurring her vision.

"Unlike you, I intend to keep this promise," she whispered out, her voice a quiet storm.

"Then do it," he taunted. "Press the trigger."

Lucy instead put her gun down. "Do you really want to die that bad?" she asked, her voice shaky.

"Are you cowering?" he said, ignoring her question. "You won't kill me, you don't have the guts to do it. You're just a lost little girl playing a too grown-up game for you."

"I am not a little girl, I stopped being a little girl when you murdered my mother," she spat back at him.

"Ah, the lovely Layla," he chuckled. "A beautiful woman she was. It was regretful to have her go for the second time, she would have been quite the addition to my ladies. I would have loved to get a taste before my men did."

"My-my mom was a wonderful woman," stuttered out Lucy, tears falling from her eyes. "She was kind, she was beautiful, and she loved with all her heart. _But you murdered her, you murdered her and you took my father away and you killed Aquarius_ -"

" _Then kill me_!" he shouted out, his voice almost urgent. "Press the trigger, I know that you're dying to do it! Scratch the itch that's been killing you all this time!"

-: :-

Natsu listened as Hades taunted Lucy, and felt pity for the young woman who had spent years looking for her guardian to discover that it was for nothing.

Aquarius was dead, and Natsu didn't doubt Hades' words. There was no use in lying to her when he knew it was over for him. It had been over from the moment he learned that the FBI were there.

Natsu itched to open the door and get inside the room to see Lucy and to watch Hades' horrified face, but in fear of jeopardizing the whole thing, he calmly stayed hidden behind the door, waiting for the others and for instructions from Erza on how to proceed inside.

But when he heard Lucy threaten to shoot Hades, the anger in her voice and the venom in her words scared him. She was serious about killing him, and as much as he wanted to see the bastard go down, he wouldn't let his death weigh on her conscience. She had already been through so much.

Alarmed, he took out his gun, and opened the door wide.

-: :-

Fueled with rage, Lucy raised the gun to be at the man's chest's level, and bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood. "You're a fucking animal-"

"Lucy, stop!" shouted a familiar voice from the door.

Both occupants of the room snapped out of their trance, and looked at the pink-haired agent who stormed inside the room, his gun in his hand and an alarmed look on his face.

"Lucy, don't shoot him! It's not worth it!" he repeated.

"He-he killed her, Natsu," she let out, "he killed Aquarius, just like he killed my mother and-"

"Let justice take care of it, it won't make you feel better to have his blood on your hands," he insisted, his voice soft.

He slowly advanced towards her, keeping his eyes riveted on the gun in her hand.

"It won't be enough, I want him to suffer for what he did to me, to my family, and to all these women," she hissed out, looking back at Hades with an icy glare.

Hades smiled tauntingly. "No matter what you do, you're never going to make me suffer as much as your mother or Aquarius did at the hands of my men."

" _Motherfucker_ -"

"Not quite, but I wish I were," he laughed again.

"I'm going to fucking kill you," shouted Lucy, blind with rage.

"Lucy!" shouted Natsu. "Don't press the trigger, he's just taunting you!"

"Natsu," she muttered out, looking at him as if she just noticed that he got into the room.

"Please," he begged, walking until he was a mere few feet away from her, "drop the gun, he'll get what he deserves."

"I-he won't stop, he'll never stop if I don't do this," she explained with a pained voice, and Natsu could almost feel her agony.

"But it won't make you feel better or bring them back if you do," he said.

In truth, Natsu could care less if Hades died or not. He knew that the man would eventually get what he deserved. But Lucy, she would never be the same after taking someone's life. Plus, Natsu was a selfish man, and he didn't want to see her behind bars, when he longed so strongly for her to be by his side.

He let out a sigh of relief when he saw her slowly lowering her gun. When it was finally safe enough for him to intervene without her pulling the trigger, he crossed the distance between them and grabbed the weapon from her hand, noting the way it shook violently in her palm.

"Hey, it's okay," he whispered out, keeping an eye on Hades in case the man did something brash until his partners got there.

"Aquarius is dead," she repeated, like a mantra, as if she didn't believe it herself. "She's gone, everything I did and all those years spent looking for her were for naught."

"They weren't for nothing," said Natsu, finally looking at her when Erza and Gray stormed inside the room to take care of Hades. "You got answers -you helped us stop Hades. Without you, all these women would still be living a life none of them wished for."

She looked up at him, her face wet with tears, and Natsu felt his heart twist painfully in his chest. He promptly wrapped his arms around her tightly, and she placed her head in the crook of his neck, sobbing loudly.

Natsu held her while the two agents escorted Hades out of the room. He smiled reassuringly at Gray when he looked at them with concern. The wanted man gave them one last cold look, before he disappeared behind the door. Natsu let out a deep sigh at the most awaited arrest, feeling a heavy weight lift off his shoulders, and placed the two guns next to him on the floor.

When Lucy finally calmed down and stopped shaking in his arms, she looked up at him.

"What do I do now?" she whispered. "There's nothing left for me."

He gave her a small smile.

"You could continue that book of yours, it would be a shame to leave such a good story unfinished."

Lucy returned his smile through her tears, and Natsu bent down to place his lips on her clean forehead. She sighed in content, and leaned into him. Both ignored how the blood on Lucy's shirt and on her face got on Natsu's clothes, or the body lying next to them, too wrapped up in each other.

"Does this mean that it's over?" she asked, hopeful.

"Yeah," replied Natsu, holding her tighter. "Yeah, it's over. You're free now."

"I hope you've savoured your few seconds of freedom with your boyfriend, because that's the only freedom you're getting, darling," said a voice, and both looked up to see Minerva standing at the door, gun in hand.

"Minerva-" started Lucy.

"I still want to make you miserable one last time before I leave this place," she smiled. When Natsu tried to reach for his gun, she looked down at him and chuckled. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"What do you want?" he asked, holding Lucy at his side to shield her from any upcoming danger.

"I'm just adding one more name to my death list," she replied, raising her gun, "I'm taking one more loved one from you, Heartfilia."

She aimed at Natsu, and before either of them could react, she pressed the trigger, and Lucy screamed as the pink haired agent's body was shoved against hers from the impact.

" _Adieu, chérie_ ," said Minerva, before walking out of the room, but it fell on deaf ears.

Lucy placed Natsu on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

" _Shitshitshit_ ," she whispered repeatedly, placing her hands at his side and pressing on the wound. "Stay awake Natsu - _someone, please help! -_ you'll be fine, I promise."

" _Lucy_ ," he whimpered in agony, wincing as her hand dug painfully into his side.

"Don't talk," she blubbered, crying softly above him. "I'm sorry, I'm _so_ sorry-"

"It's okay," he smiled, but it looked more like a grimace than anything else. "It's not you fault."

"It is!" she insisted. "You were right -I should have listened to you, I shouldn't have gone after him on my own, I let my pride get the best of me, I thought I could take them on my own but I couldn't-"

"Your new hair looks good on you," he interrupted, his words sounding breathy, "but I preferred your longer blonde hair."

"You're an idiot," she scolded, smiling softly through her tears against her will, "you're the biggest idiot I've ever met."

"But I sure hope I'm your idiot," he smiled up at her.

His eyelids were getting heavier, and he couldn't help but close them for a second. Lucy shook him, talking to him with concern, but her voice sounded so far away to his ears.

"- _su_ , stay awake, please, you have to get through this," she pleaded. "Backup is already here, I can hear the sirens. We'll get an ambulance for you."

"I'll try," he breathed out, his eyes closing once again.

"Natsu," she exclaimed, but the young man didn't open his eyes. "No, no, no, don't do this to me, not you too!" she cried out, placing a bloodied hand on his cheek and shaking him.

" _Natsu!"_

 


	16. Epilogue

_A year later…_

"-thank you for trying to protect me."

Lucy smiled softly, kissing her palm before placing her hand on the gravestone. She took a deep breath, casting a last look at the flowers she had just placed on top of the grave, before walking down the small pathway leading to the graveyard's exit, her purse dangling from her arm.

It was a new morning, and Lucy truly felt at peace for the first time in years. The air was chilly, and the shiver that went through her frame made her wrap her coat tighter around her curvy frame. The wind made her hair fly around her face, and she pushed the few strands falling in front of her eyes away from her face. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, and snatched it out. She looked at the caller ID, and smiled.

"Hello," she answered.

"Lu!" screamed her best-friend's voice, and Lucy had to take the phone away from her ear in fear of going deaf.

"What's got you so excited?" she asked, amused. "Did Gajeel finally ask you out?"

"W-what?" sputtered Levy, and Lucy could picture her pale face turn crimson at the mention of the tall pierced man. "Of course not!"

"Then what's up?" she said, starting to walk towards her next destination.

"I just finished reading your book," she squealed, and Lucy winced at her high-pitched voice. "Oh Lucy, it was really a beautiful tale! But it broke my heart when you killed the dragon at the end."

"Yeah," Lucy smiled softly. "Not all stories have a fairy tale's ending."

"Poor Lilly," continued Levy, "I can't believe the knight killed her only friend. I was rooting for them to get together, but I think his sacrifice was the ultimate proof of love!"

"I'm glad you liked the story," giggled Lucy.

"Of course I like the story! It was years in the making," whined Levy. "It was the longest hiatus of my life!"

"Then I'm happy it lived up to your expectations. I wasn't sure you would like the same when I made the knight the villain."

Levy hummed in acknowledgement. "Are you passing by the office later? I have so much more to talk about concerning your story!"

"I will," nodded Lucy. "I'll just grab a bite on my way. I was at the graveyard and didn't have time to eat this morning."

There was a pause on the other line, before Levy spoke up again softly. "Then take your time, I'll see you later."

"Bye Levy," said Lucy, before the line went dead.

She put her phone back in her pocket, and kept walking until she reached her destination. She entered the bakery, the one she made sure to eat at weekly, and smiled at the person at the counter.

"Hi Juvia," she greeted the blue-haired woman.

"Lucy," exclaimed the woman, a smile lighting up her face. Lucy had to stop for a moment to admire her. Juvia was truly a beauty, and she attracted a lot of male customers.

"How are you today?"

"Juvia is great," said the other woman. "It's a slow day, and we didn't receive a lot of requests for sweets today. It feels good to take it easy from time to time."

"I agree," smiled Lucy. "I myself recently finished writing my book!"

"Oh, Juvia is so glad to hear that! Juvia cannot wait to read it!" squealed the young woman happily.

"It's going to be out very soon," explained Lucy. "It just went through its last editing phase."

"Then Juvia will be the first one in line to purchase it," she nodded vehemently to herself. "What does Lucy want to eat today?"

"I'll take the usual," replied the blonde. "But make it double -wait, scratch that. Give me ten of those."

"Is Lucy passing by the office today?" asked Juvia, writing down the order.

"Yes, I promised Levy. She'll have my head if I don't," laughed Lucy. "I know the others will want some as well, and I wouldn't want to disappoint them by only bringing two."

"Then Lucy is lucky, we just took the muffins out of the oven. They're freshly baked!" exclaimed Juvia enthusiastically. "It won't be long. Juvia will just put them in a box and Lucy is good to go!"

"Thank you," said Lucy.

Juvia left for the back, and came back a few minutes later with Lucy's order. The blonde paid -despite Juvia's protests-, and left a hefty sum of money in the tip jar when Juvia had her back turned.

"Have a nice day," she said, leaving the small bakery.

"Goodbye Lucy, say hello to Gray-sama," giggled Juvia, blushing like a schoolgirl.

Lucy smiled to herself at how adorable the owner of the bakery was acting about her relationship with Gray. They had started dating only a few months ago, and yet, she still looked at the agent like he put the stars in the sky.

On her way to the office, she went inside a coffee shop and ordered two cups. She left a few minutes later, struggling to carry both the cups and the box, and walked another five minutes before she could see the tall office building

She went inside, passed through security without difficulty -she was used to coming by-, and greeted Mirajane.

"Hey Mira, how are you?"

"Hi Lucy, it's good to see you today. I wasn't expecting you to come by," smiled the albino woman.

"I have something to drop off," explained Lucy. "Do you want a muffin?"

Mira shook her head. "No thank you. The wedding's getting closer, and I'm trying to keep my figure to fit into my wedding dress."

"Mira," sighed Lucy. "You don't have one gram of fat on your body. I don't think this harmless little muffin would hurt you."

The secretary shrugged it off. "I'm good, but I appreciate the gesture."

"Your loss," said Lucy with a wink. "I'll be on my way!"

Lucy kept walking, before she entered the big office area. She instantly noticed Gajeel's black mane, and made her way towards him.

"Hi Gajeel," she greeted him.

"Bunny-girl," he acknowledged her without taking his eyes off his screen. "What are you doing here today? Are you coming to see shrimp?"

"Yeah," she smiled, noticing the way his eyes imperceptibly lit up when he noticed the box in her hands.

"Are those muffins? And coffee?" he exclaimed in his deep voice, reaching for a cup.

"Hands off," she scolded him, putting it away from his reach. "That's not for you, but you can take a muffin."

The pierced man huffed, but nonetheless opened the box and took one of the muffins, shoving the whole into his mouth. Lucy watched him, a bit impressed, and yet very appalled at the same time.

"It's a shame fire-breath's not with us today," he mumbled, his mouth stuffed with food. "He loves this shit."

"Why are you talking about me like I'm dead?" exclaimed an offended Natsu, appearing at his office door.

"What are you doing here? I thought it was your day off," said Gajeel.

"You thought wrong," said Natsu, before his eyes opened wide with excitement at the sight of the opened muffin box. "Oh, you brought muffins! You're the best, Luce!"

"And coffee too," she mused, raising the cup.

He walked towards her and grabbed it from her hand, taking a muffin at the same time. He took a sip from his beverage, and sighed in content.

"This beats the coffee we drink here everyday," he said. "It tastes like shit."

"Do I get a coffee as well?" asked Gray, who had followed Natsu out of their office.

"No, but you can take a muffin," replied Lucy. "Juvia says hi, by the way."

"Muffins?" Gray raised an eyebrow, taking one from the box. "Wouldn't donuts be more fitting?"

"That's rather stereotypical," said Gajeel.

They laughed, and Lucy watched as the three men devoured the food she brought.

"Did you just come by to bring food?" asked Natsu.

"No," Lucy shook her head. "But I knew that you would wake up late and not have time to eat, so I passed by the bakery to get you some."

"Then why are you here?"

"I have something to show you," she smiled at the pink haired agent.

Natsu raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her secretive smile, and nodded. "Alright, let's go inside the office."

Lucy followed him, unaware of the knowing looks the two other men shared, and stood next to his desk as he closed the door behind him.

"How was your day?" he asked, leaning against the door and crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Uneventful," she replied. "Something I never thought I would say a year ago. I went to father's grave this morning. It had been quite some time since I visited."

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. "I told you that I wanted to go see him with you."

"I'm sorry, it slipped my mind. But why do you want to see his grave so bad?" she frowned.

"To thank him. We wouldn't have stopped Hades without him. You know that he was found guilty a week ago, and I've never been happier about closing a case in my entire life."

Lucy smiled softly at him. "I'm glad it's all over. I'll take you with me next time."

"Don't you dare forget," he scolded mockingly. "So, what do you have for me?"

Lucy jumped lightly, suddenly remembering what she was there for. She quickly opened her bag and rummaged through it, before taking out a book. "This."

"A book?" said Natsu, confused. "You know I don't read, Luce."

She rolled her eyes and huffed in annoyance, placing a hand provocatively on her hip. "This is my book, you ass! I brought you a copy to read before it's out. Weren't you the one who insisted on reading it before it's published?"

Natsu grinned widely, walking away from the door and snatching it from her hands. "Well, it was about time you finished!"

"Hey!" exclaimed an offended Lucy. "Do you know how hard it is to come up with a plot that makes sense and how long it takes to edit the story? You should be happy to get an early sneak peak!"

Lucy pouted, crossing her arms under her voluptuous chest. Natsu looked at her with amusement, and snickered at her offended expression, tapping his fingers against the book.

"You're such a weirdo," he finally said. "Thanks for the coffee, by the way. You always know what I need," he added, raising the cup, and winking at her.

Lucy's cheeks reddened, and she fought the urge to place her hands on her face to hide her blush. "It's nothing."

"Well," said Natsu, walking towards his desk, "if that's going to be all, I'm going to sit and start reading this. Now get your fat ass out of my office."

"My ass is not fat!" she exclaimed, outraged by his comment. She looked hesitantly at her backside, and patted it lightly.

Noticing her action, Natsu grinned. "Don't worry, I like it that way."

Her cheeks scorched with embarrassment, and she let out a high-pitched squeal. "Natsu! Stop teasing me, you pervert, or I'll send you to the hospital again!"

Natsu's playful expression quickly morphed into a grimace, and he set the cup of coffee he was holding on the desk, its taste suddenly bitter in his mouth.

"Please no, I spent enough time there," he moaned out.

"Stop complaining, at least you're alive," she chastised him.

"Yeah," he muttered, looking at her with an unreadable expression, "at least I'm alive."

Lucy frowned at his tone, and turned away from him to look around the room. "So, how's the investigation going?" she asked, changing the topic.

"We have nothing on Minerva so far," he replied. "There were a few sighting around the world, but nothing concrete. Now she's off the map as far as we know, she vanished completely."

"You'll get her," she said confidently. "She doesn't have anywhere or anyone to go to, she's bound to come back to Magnolia someday. At least she's not a threat anymore."

"Nice pep-talk," laughed Natsu. "But you're right, she can't do much alone."

"Yeah, whatever. Go back to work, hotshot," she told him, turning around and waving him off with her hand. "I'm going to see Levy. I promised her to pass by the archive room."

"You haven't called me that is a long time," said Natsu, his tone mysterious.

Lucy turned around, and quirked an eyebrow, wondering what he was talking about.

"You haven't called me hotshot in a long time," he explained.

"I didn't have a reason to," she shrugged, confused by his insistence.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I was just flirting with you to get you off my trail back when I did."

"It didn't really work out, did it? You're still stuck with me," he grinned lopsidedly. "Do you have a reason now?"

"No," she said carefully, narrowing her eyes at him in frustration. She had a feeling he was toying with her. "It just slipped."

"So you weren't flirting with me?" he asked.

The agent got up from his seat to approach her predatorily. Lucy gulped noticeably, her eyes looking for an escape, but didn't move from her spot. She had to admit that the look on his face excited her, and ignited a multitude of feelings she had repressed for the past year in fear of jeopardizing their relationship.

"N-no," she stuttered out. "What makes you think I was?"

"Nothing, really," he shrugged, now a mere few centimeters away from her, "maybe I'm just imagining things, or maybe it's wistful thinking."

Lucy looked up, astonished by his rather forward confession. After what happened a year ago, and the mystery around her had finally crumbled, she hadn't expected him to still be entranced by her, or even remotely interested. Wasn't he the one who said that he was captivated by her because she was a mystery to him? Why would he still be thinking about her as more than a friend if she had been ' _solved'_?

She must have spoken her thoughts out loud, become he frowned down at her, his eyes flashing with anger. "Do you think so low of yourself?"

Lucy panicked slightly, swallowing the lump in her throat. "No, that's not-"

"You're an amazing woman," he interrupted her, palming her cheek. "You're smart, sharp, and ridiculously beautiful. If I were only interested in you because you're some sort of mystery I have to solve, then I wouldn't have stayed your friend after we caught Hades."

"But-"

"And if you think that I don't want to be more than friends," he continued, "then you must be the blindest woman I've ever met. We slept together, for God's sake!"

"Then why didn't you say anything after you caught him?" she asked in a small voice, looking at him through her lashes, a hint of a blush on her cheeks.

Natsu scoffed, rolling his eyes. "No matter how much I wanted to, we were both busy with Hades' trial, and with you being a witness and everything. You had just discovered that Aquarius is dead, and I was resting at the hospital. I'm not insensitive enough to put a move on you while you were mourning because my dick wanted some Lucy time."

Lucy's faint redness turned into a full blown blush, and she gasped at his crudeness, wondering _what the hell_ was Lucy time.

"What the fuck Natsu," she exclaimed, pushing him away. "We were having a moment there, and you just ruined it!"

Natsu laughed, clutching his stomach, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "Oh come on, I've said worse things to you. Don't tell me you forgot how turned on you were by it!"

Lucy squealed, turning around to grab the door handle. "I'm not talking to you about this anymore. You're a complete ass!"

"Wait Luce," he stopped her, grabbing her arm to turn her around. "I'm sorry, you know that I was just playing with you. You're so easy and fun to tease, it's so different from the way you acted when we first met."

"Yeah well," she grumbled, "I had to put on an act. I couldn't risk being found out. I'm sorry if you prefer the way I was before."

"I don't!" he declared loudly, too fast for his own liking. "I prefer you this way. You were almost unattainable back then, and you were so cold. I'm glad the walls built around you crumbled, you're much more real the way you are right now, and I like embarrassing you," he added with a smile.

"I like the way I am right now a lot more as well," she smiled shyly, looking at the hand around her wrist. "I was too proud and too independent, and I'm glad I found a friend in you. You showed me that there's more to life than running, and you reunited me with Levy."

It was Natsu's turn to be embarrassed, touched by her words.

"It's nothing," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm glad I was able to help you-"

"I'm sorry you got shot," she suddenly added, looking up at him. Despite not being a very tall man compared to the other men in their lives, she felt so small around him. "I thought you wouldn't want to see me anymore after you woke up."

"Lucy," he sighed, his hand slipping from her wrist to hold her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers, "We already went through this. Stop apologizing, we're both here and alive, and you shouldn't blame yourself. If anyone's at fault, it would be me. I'm the agent here, and I should have stopped you from going after Hades from the start! It put you in danger and I don't know what would have happened if we didn't find you that night."

"It's not your fault," she countered angrily. "You were just doing your job and looking after me! I was the one who was too proud for my own good. I let my ego get to my head! I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you that night. I already lost so many people, and I wouldn't have survived seeing you go as well. You're-you're very important to me."

Lucy had whispered the last part, and Natsu had to focus very hard on her voice to hear her words. She had looked down when she said them, and stared at their hands, her thumb caressing the back of his hand.

"You're very important to me as well," he replied softly, lifting her head by her chin with his unoccupied hand to stare into her eyes. "Why do you think I didn't bring you here when I found you lying in a pool of blood in your kitchen? And why do you think I didn't mention to anyone that you had stayed with me for weeks? I'm a selfish guy when it comes to you. I act like a child most of the time, but you bring out the man in me."

Lucy bit her lips at his admission, and he could see her eyes pulsing with foreign emotions.

"What are you trying to say?" she whispered.

"Goddammit Lucy," he groaned, heat crawling up his neck to rest on his cheeks, "you're so dense."

She furrowed her eyebrow, and backed away from him. "Dense? I'm not-"

"I'm crazy about you," he let out, and Lucy froze in place, looking at him with her mouth slightly agape. He flushed under her stare, but nonetheless gathered all his courage and continued. "Everyone knows it, and everyone teases me about it. You crashed into my life unexpectedly, and I didn't realize that I wanted you so bad until you left that key around Happy's neck."

"Natsu-"

"Wait, please let me finish my tirade, I've never sounded so smart in my whole life," he laughed nervously, releasing her chin and running a hand through his hair. "What I'm trying to say is that I can't picture my life without you. It's-it's not just physical. I want all of it, I want you by my side, _all_ the time."

"Me too," replied Lucy, her grip tightening around his hand.

Natsu blinked, before his face broke into a wide grin. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, I want you too," she nodded, a shy smile on her lips. She rubbed her face with her other hand, laughing lightly. "God, this sounds so stupid. I'm the writer here but you're the one who gave a speech straight out of a best-selling romance novel."

"You can't always be smartest, leave the spotlight to the rest of us sometimes," he teased, and Lucy giggled.

There was a heavy silent after their declaration, and Lucy looked down at her feet, feeling shy. "So, what now?"

"I don't know where this takes us, but I really want to kiss you," he replied, giving her a heated stare.

"Me too," she said, breathless.

"Is that all you know how to say?"

"Shut up," she groaned.

She grabbed his by his scarf and tugged at it, bringing his head down to her level to plant her lips firmly on his. Natsu leaned into the kiss, untangling his hand from hers and grabbing her by the waist to bring her body closer to his. Lucy brought a hand to lay her fingertips on his face, caressing his cheeks and moving her lips against his slowly. Her other hand dug into his side, and she momentarily thought back to the X shaped scar underneath his dress-shirt he acquired after the bullet was removed.

Her heart constricted inside her chest, remembering how she had almost lost him. When the ambulance had arrived at the club, Natsu had lost so much blood, and was on the verge of death had the paramedics not stopped the bleeding. The surgeon had to remove the bullet because it had been at a compromising place, and would move at any moment had it been left inside of him. He had stayed in the operating room for hours, and all Lucy could remember from it was a mix of anxiety and fear, and an overall feeling of panic at the thought of him dying on the operating table.

"God," whispered Natsu, ending the kiss and leaning his forehead against hers, "you don't know how long I've wanted to do this."

"Me too," replied Lucy before she could stop herself.

Natsu looked at her for a few seconds in complete seriousness, before they both burst into laughter, wide smiles on their faces and both hearts hammering inside their chests. Natsu brought a hand to her hair, and tangled his fingers in her locks.

"I'm so happy you let your hair grow, I missed it," he told her. "Not that you didn't look good with your shorter hair or anything."

"You're such a dork," she giggled. "I missed my hair too,"

Natsu grinned at her, and leaned again to capture her lips, kissing her more deeply, and causing her to moan into the kiss. He placed his hands underneath her butt, and lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. He walked towards the nearest desk, and put her down on it to stand between her legs. Lucy sighed against his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck and arching into him. Natsu leaned forwards and placed his hands on the desk on either side of her, caging her with his arms. He lightly bit her lower lip, and she moaned, opening her mouth to give him access, and he instantly stroke his tongue inside.

"Um, guys," muttered a voice from the door.

Natsu tore his mouth from Lucy's, and looked at the entrance to his office to see an amused and all-knowing Gray standing there. They must have been too wrapped up in each other to hear the door.

"This is some nice development and all, but could you please not go at it on my desk?" he continued, raising an eyebrow. "I don't want to picture this every time I sit down to work."

"Uh, yeah, sorry about that," replied Lucy, jumping off his desk, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Natsu rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly at his partner, before rearranging his scarf.

"What are you doing here?"

"This is my office too," said Gray, "and you were taking too long. I have some work to do."

"Well, I'll be leaving then," said Lucy, looking at Natsu through the corner of her eye and fighting off a smile. "I'll let you work. I have to see Levy."

"Not yet," declared Gray, turning around to walk out of the office. "I have to tell Mira what I just saw before you leave."

"Don't do that, stripper!" shouted a panicked Natsu.

He knew how the white-haired woman would react to what just happened. He could already picture her babbling on and about weddings and babies, and he shuddered at the prospect of it.

"Wait Natsu," stopped him Lucy before he could run out to chase his partner.

"What is it?"

Lucy didn't reply, but simply stood on her toes to plant a firm and yet dizzying kiss on his lips. When she detached herself from him, she smiled coyly, and tucked a wild strand of hair behind her ear.

"There. Now you can go and chase after him," she said.

Natsu stuttered something unintelligible, and hastily walked out of the room. A few seconds later, he peeked back inside. "Let's go out tonight."

"I would love that," she told him.

"Great! It's a date then!" he grinned excitedly, leaving the room for good.

Lucy giggled to herself, and grabbed the handbag she had placed on his desk. Her gaze caught her book, and she struck her hand out to flip the front page and caress the words she wrote on the first page.

She had never thought that she would taste freedom ever again, let alone finish writing the book she had abandoned after her guardian had disappeared. But in the end, no matter how much heartache and suffering she went through, everything had turned out alright.

_In loving memory of Aquarius, who taught me that dragons were the fiercest protectors._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's the end! Thanks to those who read the story and left comments on here, it was a pleasure to write this!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to those who clicked here, hope you enjoyed that first part!
> 
> Also hello to my French speaking fellows out there. Here's the translation for those who don't understand French, in order of the quote's appearance:
> 
> "Non, vas te faire foutre. Tu ne m'as pas ramené l'information dont j'ai besoin." - "No, go fuck yourself. You didn't collect the information I need."
> 
> "Écoutes, il y a deux connards qui me dérangent. Tu me donnes deux secondes?" - "Listen, there's two assholes bothering me. Can you give me two seconds?"
> 
> "Désolé pour ça. Et pour ton information, tu es renvoyé." - "Sorry for that. And for you information, you're fired."
> 
> Leave a comment to tell me what you thought about this!


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